Democrat's doing it for the children...

Cashing In: Chelsea Clinton Joins Expedia’s Board

By Emily Zanotti| 6:28 pm, March 17, 2017

Chelsea Clinton has another feather in her cap now that she’s joined the Board of Directors of travel company Expedia — a very part time gig that pays $45,000 in cash and $250,000 in stock options per year.

Expedia announced Friday that they’d created the seat for her, expanding their existing 13-member board to 14 members, just for Chelsea. The board voted for the change this week, according to documents just filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The filing also lists the former First Daughter’s compensation for the plum position:

According to Expedia’s Board Member Rules, she could earn an additional $10,000 to $20,000 for serving on one of the Board’s many committees, but Clinton hasn’t yet been appointed to any.

Shares of Expedia were “flat” on the news.

This isn’t Clinton’s only “job,” if you’d like to call it that. She also serves on the board of directors for Expedia’s former parent company, IAC/InterActive Corp, which owns sites like Dictionary.com and the Hillary Clinton fan publication The Daily Beast.

She’s also listed as an “affiliate” and Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and as a board member of the School of American Ballet and Weill Cornell Medical College (both unpaid).

So why would an Internet travel company turn to Chelsea for board leadership? It’s not like her mother is going to be president anymore and what else she brings to the table is unknown.

But wait — legendary studio boss Barry Diller is the chairman and senior executive of both IAC/InterActive and Expedia, and a longtime Clinton friend and ally. Diller supported all of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns, and hosted a $100,000-per-couple dinner at his Los Angeles home last September, benefiting her most recent run.

Clinton friends Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg

Perhaps more importantly, Diller’s wife, the famous fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, is known to be a friend and huge supporter of Hillary.

Chelsea and her husband, failed investor Marc Mezvinsky, have even vacationed in Italy with the Dillers, snorkeling and sailing with the pair off the coast of exclusive (and very expensive) Sardinia.

Chelsea Clinton and husband vacationing in Italy with Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg.

Back in 2011, when Diller helped usher Chelsea onto IAC’s board, he faced allegations of favoritism, and backlash from his investors over what they considered a “celebrity appointment.” IAC was forced to issue a statement defending Chelsea’s appointment, which came with a $300,000 annual retainer.

Since her mother failed in her bid for the White House, Chelsea has been dabbling in different pursuits, publishing an under-the-radar book on global health and occasionally giving speeches (for $65,000 per an appearance).

She’s also taken to being snarky on Twitter, in a move some take to mean she’s considering running for office. In a further sign of possible political ambitions, it was revealed this week that Chelsea will publish a children’s book called She Persisted, the title being an homage to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s recent challenge on the Senate Floor to Donald Trump.