As previously reported by The Daily Caller, Hillary Clinton’s top donors are bankrolling the congressional campaign of Kathleen Matthews, wife of MSNBC host of “Hardball,” Chris Matthews. In the time since TheDC broke the original story, The Huffington Post has denounced Matthews’ Clinton ties as a “clear conflict of interest,” Investor’s Business Daily has called on Chris Matthews to recuse himself from covering the Democratic primary, progressive blog Daily Kos has ran a piece on Kathleen Matthews’ donors titled “Now we know why Chris Matthews’ is so pro-Hillary and anti-Sanders,” and a petition demanding Chris Matthews’ suspension has garnered almost 11 thousand signatures.
Now, research by TheDC reveals that Kathleen Matthews’ Clinton ties go beyond the donors funding her campaign: Matthews’ campaign has shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to secure the consulting services of top Clinton allies.
Kathleen Matthews’ year-end FEC filings reveal that her campaign paid almost $30,000 to powerhouse consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker, headed by longtime Clinton ally Mark Penn. The Clintons’ relationship with Penn goes as far back as 1994, when he worked as an adviser in Bill’s administration. In 2008, Penn worked for Hillary’s campaign as a senior strategist.
Many of Knickerbocker’s vice presidents and managing directors are also Clinton friends or former employees. Managing director Hilary Rosen was described as a “close Clinton ally” by Politico last July. On the Knickerbocker website, vice president Jessica McCreight advertises her work for Hillary’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Fellow VP Jaclyn Rothenberg also advertises her work with Hillary’s 2008 campaign. Managing director Bill Knapp’s bio highlights his work for Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign. VP Jessica Basset has worked with both Clintons. Managing director Kelley McCormick lists the Clinton Global Initiative as one of her current clients.
The Clinton-Knickerbocker door appears to work both ways, too: Kat Kane, a senior staffer at Hillary for America, joined the Clinton campaign after working as a senior associate at Knickerbocker.
Under a header that reads “We Know How to Help Women Win,” the Knickerbocker website advertises the firm’s “extensive experience advocating on behalf of women leaders and candidates, as well as some of the most high profile causes and issues that matter to women.”
The website goes on to state that “We advise women who want to run for political office. We know how to train female leaders for media interviews and hearings. We write speeches, opinion pieces and more. We craft social media strategies, pursue speaking opportunities and other recognition. We use all of these as building blocks to develop a woman’s personal brand or visibility for her organization and her issue.”
According to Matthews’ FEC filings, her campaign for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District paid Knickerbocker $22,867 for “media production.”
Neither MSNBC nor Kathleen Matthews’ campaign has responded to TheDC’s multiple requests for comment. The number of people demanding Chris Matthews’ suspension, meanwhile, creeps ever higher.