Clinton adviser in email: Sometimes, Clintons have "the worst" judgment
Amid the FBI’s renewed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, WikiLeaks continues its publishing of the hacked emails from the private Gmail account of John Podesta, the Clinton campaign’s chairman.
In this 22nd batch of emails, a close Clinton confidant questions the Clintons’ judgment, staffers raise questions about another adviser’s loyalty and the campaign is warned that Turkish leaders are trying to make diplomatic inroads via donations to Democratic candidates.
February 2015: Neera Tanden on how the Clintons have “the worst judgement.”
Neera Tanden, the head of the left-leaning Center for American Progress and a close Clinton adviser, emails John Podesta about two more people in the Clinton family’s inner circle, calling David Brock and Mary Pat Bonner “a nightmare.”
In the email, Tanden writes, referring to the initials of Hillary Rodham Clinton and William Jefferson Clinton: “Sometimes HRC/WJC have the worst judgement.”
August 2015: Campaign staffers question Ron Klain’s loyalty.
Podesta wrote to Ron Klain, Joe Biden’s former chief of staff who had at the time already begun to help the Clinton campaign on primary debate preparations despite his old boss’ considerations for a 2016 run, about a Politico story. The subject line was a terse, “We need to talk tomorrow.”
The article, not included in the email, was presumably a Politico piece that ran with the headline “Biden strategy for White House run taking shape.”
Forwarding his Klain email to Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, Podesta asked, “You think a little overly dramatic?”
Palmieri wrote back in the affirmative: “Yes. But we are not f’ing around.”
Podesta replied of Klain, “His problem is always whether he can be loyal.”
“I feel like a chump for vouching for him,” he added.
August 2015: Caution: Turkish campaign donations
Michael Werz, who appears to be another Center for American Progress connection, warned Podesta that supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey were making “substantial investments in U.S. to counter opposition (CHP, Kurds, Gulenists etc.) outreach to policymakers and USG.”
The “Erdogan crew,” Werz wrote, “also tries to make inroads via donations to Democratic candidates, including yours.” Werz then listed two names that Podesta “should be aware of.”
According to the Federal Election Commission, however, foreign nationals are prohibited from making any contributions connected to any election in the U.S.