Hillary Clinton struggles to explain why she accepted $675,000 from Goldman Sachs

Ms Clinton's minimum rate for public speaking is a cool $200,000

Hillary Clinton had one misstep during CNN's Democratic town hall. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)

During CNN’s Democratic town hall, Hillary Clinton had a hard time explaining one of the strongest criticisms of her campaign—her connections to Wall Street.

The Democratic front-runner was asked on Wednesday night why she accepted $675,000 for several speeches she made to Goldman Sachs in 2014.

"Well, I don’t know That’s what they offered," she said as she began her answer. "Every Secretary of State I know has done that."

She argued that she didn't know she would eventually run for president.

"Anybody who knows me, who thinks that they can influence me — name anything they’ve influenced me on. Just name one thing. I’m out here every day saying I’m going to shut them down."

However, Politico reported in 2013 that Ms Clinton's minimum rate for public speaking is a cool $200,000. She continued trying her best to convince CNN's worldwide audience that she is indeed anti-Wall Street.

“I’m going after them. I’m going to jail them if they should be jailed. I’m going to break them up. They’re not giving me very much money now, I can tell you that much. Fine with me.”

It remains to be seen if Ms Clinton's flustered response will actually hurt her campaign. The former secretary of state is still the favourite in national polls by 14.4 points over the energised Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, according to Real Clear Politics.