On his first day as a CNN contributor, former Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer argued that Hillary Clinton is “going to have to engage the press” if she wants to have a success in her presidential campaign.
Appearing on “The Lead” with host Jake Tapper, Pfeiffer said that her dealings with the press will be “critical to her success” as the campaign drags on.
JAKE TAPPER: Let’s talk about Hillary Clinton who is obviously way favored on the Democratic side of the aisle. You said that the political world had lost its mind about the Hillary Clinton e-mails. You don’t think that this is something the American people should care about? She wiped her server cleaned, she used a private server for official business?
DAN PFEIFFER: No. I don’t mean that it’s not something that should be looked at. I think it is. My point was when this all happened, every, you know, political prognosticator and pundit was saying that this is going to be an existential threat to her campaign, some said. We have a poll for out in Iowa last night, or the other night that said she’s still doing quite well there. So I think it’s a legitimate issue that people should look at, but not the threat to her long-term political viability and some say it is.
TAPPER: One could argue that reason that she’s been able to avoid any harm from this is that she has avoided any questions about it. She has really kept the press at arms length during all of her various trips. She hasn’t given any significant interviews. Is this a smart strategy or do you think it will ultimately backfire?
PFEIFFER: Over the course of time..she hasn’t even done the official announcement of her campaign yet. Over the course of time, she’s going to have to engage the press. I think it will be critical to her success. I think that whenever you’re in a situation like this…you want to make sure you run your campaign strategy, and don’t do it on the schedule the press sets. But what you can’t do is go so long without talking to the press that it bubbles over into a world where every single little interaction you have becomes carried on live television. So you have to find the balance. As the campaign goes on I think they’ll be able to do that.
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