A rapid response from the DNC attacking an op-ed by Tim Pawlenty published by The Daily Caller this morning may have been a little too rapid: The press release that the DNC sent to reporters appears to feature an email exchange between the DNC’s Devan Barber and Obama’s incoming 2012 campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt who currently works for Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel.
“id [sic] lead on the pawlenty hit w/ leaving MN with a record deficit before the defensive stuff,” reads LaBolt’s email, which he sent from his personal Gmail account. “[A]lso think there’s a typo in the headline for the first section of bullets.”
LaBolt cc’d his email to Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean, a former White House researcher who’s now research director for Obama 2012, and DNC staffers Brad Woodhouse, Hari Sevugan, and Nick Hackworth.
LaBolt left his role as a deputy communications director at the White House in early April to head up the communications team for Obama’s reelection effort.
UPDATE — Pawlenty’s team responds: “The Obama campaign is telling the DNC to bury the President’s record — which is understandable, especially considering how poorly it stacks up to Governor Pawlenty’s record of cutting taxes and spending,” Alex Conant, Pawlenty’s communications director, wrote in a release. “If the President’s team was more focused on the economy and less focused on politics, then maybe they wouldn’t be so worried about Governor Pawlenty’s strong record and agenda. The Obama re-election campaign and DNC’s coordinated attack on Governor Pawlenty is more evidence that Republicans should not wait to start the campaign.”
The email: