Even the press is ticked off the Clinton campaign declined to disclose her pneumonia diagnosis until the video of her buckling at the knees while the Secret Service scrambled rendered denials and misdirections impossible.
Although Clinton’s doctors diagnosed her with pneumonia Friday, the campaign decided not to immediately disclose that information and to ignore the doctor’s recommendation she rest and modify her schedule. Instead, she continued as usual Saturday and into Sunday.
After she abruptly exited a 9/11 memorial service in New York City soon after 9:30 a.m., her campaign initially declined to answer reporter’s questions about her health or offer an explanation for her departure. For more than an hour, the press pool at the event was kept in the dark as to where she went and why.
Meanwhile a bystander tweeted a startling video of Clinton’s knees buckling and her feet dragging on the pavement as Secret Service agents lifted her into the vehicle when she departed. The video was live for about thirty minutes before the campaign finally released a short statement at approximately 11 a.m.
“During the ceremony, she felt overheated so departed to go to her daughter’s apartment, and is feeling much better,” the statement read. The weather was in the 70s, making the “overheated” explanation dubious at best, and once again the campaign declined to release her pneumonia diagnosis.
About 45 minutes later, Clinton pointedly took a walk outside her daughter Chelsea’s apartment, stopping to hug a little girl despite her potentially contagious ailment. “I’m feeling great, it’s a beautiful day in New York,” she told the press before leaving for her next campaign stop.
It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that her team finally disclosed her pneumonia diagnosis.
“Secretary Clinton has been experiencing a cough related to allergies,” the statement from her doctor read, which did not explicitly acknowledge the fainting spell. “On Friday, during her follow up evaluation of her prolonged cough, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning’s event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely.”
The Clinton camp then released a statement around 10 p.m. saying she would not be traveling for the next several days. The whole episode is yet another instance of Clinton’s secrecy and stated desire for privacy backfiring on her campaign.
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