Politics

Clinton Camp Demands Anonymity On Conference Call With Media

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
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Hillary’s brief interaction with the press in New Hampshire was not well received by some on a recent conference call.

Clinton’s campaign told reporters on the rare media conference call last week that names of Clinton campaign reps on the line should remain anonymous. A Nashua Telegraph reporter on the call said the Clinton team made the request so they could speak “candidly.”

In the end, the conference call had such little substance. The Telegraph and other outlets decided not to write a story about it. However, the paper’s editorial page seemed astonished about the mundane details of the call that the Clinton camp wanted to remain anonymous about.

For example, one top Clinton campaign official said, “Everyone has a story, and connecting that story to their support for this campaign is something that is as crucial and important and something that people want to do – people want to tell those stories.”

Another campaign strategist told reporters, that New Hampshire voters “would be seeing a lot of [Clinton] in the months ahead.”

The Telegraph’s response to the anonymous sourced quotes was bewilderment, calling the campaign’s move “the antithesis of what the New Hampshire primary is about.”

“That’s not exactly stop-the-presses material right there. The importance of what was said by campaign operatives in no way rose to a level that required anonymity,” The Telegraph wrote.

The New Hampshire GOP took the opportunity Thursday to take a shot at Clinton.

“Hillary Clinton continues to insult New Hampshire voters with her lack of access, her contrived photo opportunities and her unwillingness to answer questions from voters or members of the media,” NHGOP Chairman Jennifer Horn said in a press statement.

Horn continued, “This anonymous conference call stunt is unheard of in New Hampshire politics, and it shows voters that Secretary Clinton isn’t even trying to keep up the appearance of a grassroots campaign as she anticipates her coronation.”

New Hampshire Democrats appear to be piling on over Clinton’s campaign tactics as well.

Former New Hampshire Democrat gubernatorial nominee Arnie Arneson told The Boston Globe earlier in the week that Hillary makes Democrat activists “feel like we don’t matter…I feel like she doesn’t realize it is personal in New Hampshire.”

Additionally, even Clinton’s first visit to New Hampshire showed how impersonal Clinton was in a state known for getting personal with political candidates.

The Globe notes that Clinton’s panel discussions and house parties were only available to pre-credentialed media and certain individuals selected by campaign organizers.