Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta alleged Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti or his staff were “d*cking around” with the campaign after the California Democrat opted against attending a meeting at a fundraiser in June, according to an email leaked on WikiLeaks.
In an email exchange June 19, 2015, fellow Clinton confidant Huma Abedin referred to Garcetti, who threw his support behind President Barack Obama early in the 2008, as a “tough one” and questioned whether he actually declined the meeting.
“He’s a tough one for us [sic] Never really had a relationship So he bailed?”
“He or his people are d*cking around with us. Rick Jacobs called to say he really doesn’t want to do this brief meeting at a fundraiser,” Podesta responded. “I was pretty cold and said we would consider a meeting some time in the future.”
Podesta then said Garcetti, who was once rumored to be a potential vice presidential pick for Clinton, should hold out on a meeting with Clinton’s former primary rival former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
“Maybe he can hold out to be MOM’s VP,” he wrote.
In an email exchange just weeks earlier, former Deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides wrote to Podesta, which was forwarded to staffer Marlon Marshall, informing him the mayor was interested in endorsing Clinton.
“Hey I was talking to mayor garcetti he wants to endorse her. (I think there is some 2008 history there) He wants to connect on her west coast trip this month. U [sic] assume you know him well,” he said.
Marshall suggested Podesta reach out to the mayor instead of him since: “Amanda has the better backstory here, but he was cranky that HRC hadn’t called him yet, so I think it’s best if you make that first call.”
Podesta questioned how the campaign should answer if Garcetti asked to endorse her the next time she was in Los Angeles.
“Answer is yes. Basically, I say we’ve worked with Govs and Members to do > it in a way where we amplify it, link it to on the ground and online efforts,” Clinton aide Amanda Renteria wrote.
Garcetti went on to endorse Clinton in November — but not after a major blunder. His office unintentionally sent out a statement announcing his support, which was later retracted, although the mayor said he did endorse the candidate following the mistake.
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