Democratic National Committee interim chairwoman Donna Brazile has already lost her contributor contract with CNN for leaking questions from a CNN town hall to the Clinton campaign. Monday night’s WikiLeaks release of emails from the personal account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta reveals Brazile sent even more questions ahead of the event, one that went to Hillary Clinton, the other was asked of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
On the day before the event, Brazile sent the following under the heading “UNIONS.”
Secretary Clinton, yesterday in St. Louis, you spoke at carpenters and others “who built this nation.” Both you and Senator Sanders depend on big union support. President Obama pushed for a massive infrastructure bill that would mean millions of jobs for in this area. Yet many of these trade unions have locked out Blacks and other minorities for years. Will you call a meeting with them before November, and if you win, when you are president, to demand that the trade unions stop freezing Blacks and others from these good paying jobs?
The official transcript of the town hall on CNN’s website has Roland Martin, one of the moderators, saying:
Secretary Clinton, yesterday you were in St. Louis, and you talked about carpenters and the rebuilding of the country, the folks who built this nation.
And, both you and Senator Sanders have significant union support, yet many of the trade unions that — we walk about built the country, they’ve locked out black folks and other minorities for decades. Would you, even right now, and even as president, call a meeting with the trade unions and say it’s time for you to open up those doors and bring in more African-Americans and Hispanics, and others be because those are high-paying jobs. And, if we keep saying rebuild America with a huge infrastructure and billions of dollars, they’re the ones who are going to do it. And, black folks and others are going to be left on the outside looking in.
The second question Brazile sent in this email was for Senator Sanders under the heading “INCOME INEQUALITY.”
Senators Sanders, you and Hillary Clinton have often talked about the problem of income inequality. Many other Democrats have. Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. has talked about the lack of economic upward mobility for Black and other minorities in Silicon Valley and corporate America. Yet Power Pac Plus did a study showing that four years ago, the Democratic Party spent $514 million on consultants, and only 1.7%, or $8.4 million went to minority-owned firms or firms with at least one minority principle. How can the public be assured that either one of you or the Democratic Party can fix income inequality when the same party practices it?
The CNN transcript reads:
Senator Sanders, you have talked a lot about income inequality during this campaign. Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., who is here, has been fighting Silicon Valley, opening up the doors and opportunities for African-Americans and other people of color.
Yet four years ago, PowerPAC+ did a study showing that the Democratic Party spent $514 million on various consultants, yet minorities only got 1.7 percent or $8.4 million of that.
How can the people trust Democrats to do something about income inequality when, when it comes to political dollars, they practice income inequality?
When news broke that Brazile had leaked debate questions to the Clinton campaign, CNN President Jeff Zucker referred to the ethic breach by Brazile as “disgusting.”
Brazile, for her part, has never admitted wrongdoing, attacking the Russian government when asked about sending the questions.