Newly leaked emails reveal that Hillary Clinton’s campaign plotted to downplay her email crisis by having her joke about it with journalists.
(Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
The emails, hacked from the campaign chairman John Podesta’s Gmail account and published by WikiLeaks on Thursday, reveal an exchange where Clinton staffers deliberated whether they should send Clinton to the Gridiron dinner — an event where D.C. journalists and high profile politicians gather to make fun of themselves. (RELATED: Clinton Staffers Whine: ‘Chelsea Keeps Going To Daddy’)
“What do we think about using gridiron to puncture the email story a little,” Jen Palmieri — her communications director — said in an email to Podesta in May 2015. “Maybe have Terry [McAuliffe] do in his speech — photos of emails from her to Jeb at his personal address, Jason Chatez [Chaffetz] at his gmail, maybe a photo of her surrounded by a pile of phones to make fun of the one device defense. That kind of thing. For HRC to get credit for it, she would need to appear in at least one photo. What do you think?”
“Isn’t it tomorrow?” Podesta responded. “I like it, but we would need to get on it. Has anyone discussed with Terry?” (RELATED: Leaked Emails Reveal How Hillary Clinton Responded To Antonin Scalia’s Death)
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“To respond to Robby’s q’s – I do think it will help us get over it,” Palmieri said.
“Mostly, we will get style points, which we need. Also — having an email from her to Jason Chafetz’ gmail sums up the hypocrisy and stupidity of the controversy in one photo. Get the Terry concerns, but this is such a DC audience, think it is okay. I will do a soft outreach to Terry.”
At the dinner last May, Obama brought up Clinton’s emails when he said he had lost his technological savvy.
“Hillary has a server in her house!” Obama said at the time. “I didn’t even know you could have one of those. I am so far behind.” (RELATED: Leaked Emails Reveal Hillary Clinton Hates The Phrase ‘Everyday Americans’)