ABC reported Wednesday that former President George W. Bush charged a non-profit group for wounded vets a whopping $100,000 for a speaking fee in 2012.Â
Former board member of Helping Heroes Eddie Wright—who lost both hands in an enemy rocket attack in Iraq—told ABC News that while he said he was "honored to serve with Bush as Commander-in-Chief" he thought the decision to take so much money from a wounded vet organization was a "bad judgment call" on Bush's part.
Helping Heroes itself has been criticized for exploiting war veterans. The non-profit was set up to build homes for veterans but has been fraught with scandals over mismanagement and misuse of funds. Wright pointed out this fact in his broader criticism of "non-profit organizations that exploit and monetize disabled Veterans under the guise of caring."
Over 30,000 Americans suffered injuries in the Iraq War and another 4,282 lost their lives. George W. Bush is said to be worth north of $20 million.
Neither Helping Heroes nor the 44th President responded to The Daily News request for comment, though Helping Heroes did tweet out a rather tepid defense Wednesday afternoon:
h/t Daily News
