Newly leaked emails reveal that Hillary Clinton’s top aide wondered if the campaign could survive without taking questions from the press.
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The emails, hacked from the campaign chairman John Podesta’s Gmail account and published by WikiLeaks Wednesday, reveal an exchange between him and Huma Abedin. (RELATED: Leaked Emails Reveal Hillary Clinton Hates The Phrase ‘Everyday Americans’)
“She [Clinton] wants to re-think events during and post launch with money and press being her 2 big issues,” Abedin wrote in an email to Podesta and Jen Palmieri May 2015.
“Can we survive not answering questions from press at message events[?] Her dinkins speech and immigration message broke through because we didn’t take questions. Her community banks message got lost because she answered questions about the foundation and emails.”
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Podesta disagreed with Abedin.
“If she thinks we can get to Labor Day without taking press questions, I think that’s suicidal,” he responded. “We have to find some mechanism to let the stream out of the pressure cooker.”
“Not suggesting no q and a at all,” Abedin said. “Maybe just having a straight message event and take questions from real people doing an avail on the second day when shes out getting ice cream or doing house parties so that shes not stepping on her own message.”
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Clinton famously went on a 275-day streak without taking questions from the press. (RELATED: Clinton Staffers Whine: ‘Chelsea Keeps Going To Daddy’)