Former President Barack Obama is reportedly earning up to $400,000 an hour for making speeches to investment banks.

　　据报道，美国前总统巴拉克.奥巴马在某投资银行发表演讲时，时薪高达40万美元。

　　The 56-year-old has been criticised by several Democratic senators who said they are "troubled" by the sums he is taking home.

　　56岁的奥巴马随即遭到了几位民主党参议员的批评，他们表示对于奥巴马挣那么多钱感到“困惑”。

　　Mr Obama is reported to have received the fee for delivering a lecture to clients of asset manager Northern Trust Corporation in New York in September.

　　报道称，奥巴马9月给财富管理公司纽约北方信托公司的客户做演讲，收到了一笔演讲费。

　　This month he will take home another $400,000 for speaking to investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald, according to Bloomberg News.

　　据彭博新闻的报道，奥巴马本月还将为投行 Cantor Fitzgerald发表演讲，可再收到酬金40万美元。

　　The firm’s CEO, Howard Lutnick said: "Everybody would like to come. Hopefully, we will really talk about the Affordable Care Act in interesting and nuanced ways, which I think is really cool."

　　该公司的首席执行官霍华德.卢特尼克说:“每个人都愿意来。希望，我们真的会以有趣而微妙的方式讨论平价医疗法案，我认为这很酷。”

　　But before entering the White House in 2009, Mr Obama said that he had not run "to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street".

　　但是，在奥巴马2009年入主白宫之前，他表示并没有“在华尔街帮助过任何肥猫银行家”。

　　His spokesman defended the lectures, telling Bloomberg News that he has only spoken "true to his values".

　　他的发言人为这些讲座辩解，告诉彭博新闻，奥巴马绝对“忠于他自己的职业道德”。

　　The proceeds have also helped Mr Obama contribute $2 million to youth programmes in Chicago.

　　这些收益已让奥巴马在芝加哥的青年项目上贡献了200万美元。

　　However, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told a local radio station: "I was troubled by that (fee for lectures)."

　　不过，马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白.沃伦仍然对当地一家广播电台说：“我(对演讲费)感到很困惑。”