In response to a new report from Slate showing that the Trump Organization has a secret server registered to Trump Tower that has been covertly communicating with Russia, Hillary for America Senior Policy Adviser Jake Sullivan released the following statement Monday:
“This could be the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow. Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank.
This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Trump’s ties to Russia. It certainly seems the Trump Organization felt it had something to hide, given that it apparently took steps to conceal the link when it was discovered by journalists.
This line of communication may help explain Trump’s bizarre adoration of Vladimir Putin and endorsement of so many pro-Kremlin positions throughout this campaign. It raises even more troubling questions in light of Russia’s masterminding of hacking efforts that are clearly intended to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign. We can only assume that federal authorities will now explore this direct connection between Trump and Russia as part of their existing probe into Russia’s meddling in our elections.”
Hillary Clinton returned to Ohio on Monday where she began the day at an event on the campus of Kent State University. During her speech, Clinton briefly addressed the FBI’s investigation into her email, and she urged the bureau to release the findings to the American voters. She said that she is confident that nothing will be found. Clinton then spoke about a number of her platform points including her plans to create jobs, build an economy that works for everyone, and make college more affordable. Clinton also attacked Donald Trump for his temperament and divisive rhetoric saying, “Imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. Imagine him plunging us into a war because someone got under his very thin skin.” She then asked everyone to get out and vote on November 8th or to take advantage of early voting. A video of Clinton’s speech is below.
Clinton then spoke at a rally in Cincinnati where she was introduced by Mark Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Clinton, again, opened her speech by addressing the FBI’s investigation into her emails saying, “Go ahead: Look at them.” She then spoke about the importance of the election and far reaching effects the next four years will have on this country. She presented her plans to continue the economic growth started by the administration of President Barack Obama and said that she wanted to make even more progress. She also attacked Trump for his relationship with Russia and his famously short temper. Clinton concluded by asking voters to support her because she wants to win Ohio. Watch a video from the event below.
On Monday, Tim Kaine campaigned in North Carolina where he began the day at an event in Jacksonville. During his speech, Kaine outlined a number of Hillary Clinton’s key platform points including her plans to create jobs and continue the economic growth started by the administration of President Barack Obama. He said that the goal is to build an economy that works for everyone, and not just those at the top. Kaine also spoke about Donald Trump and attacked Trump for his disrespect for the military. As the father of a Marine, Kaine said, “We need someone who has known about (the military) in the past and know what we look for in the future, even know what the military stands for other than fighting.” Kaine wrapped up the event by asking everyone to vote and to take advantage of the state’s early voting adding, “You are not the kind of people to stand by. We’re going to go out on November 8 and make history and do something that’s never been done.” A video from the event is below.
In Sanford, Kaine continued to focus on the economy and Clinton’s plans to create jobs by investing in infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy, education and training, and helping small businesses. Kaine urged everyone to not become complacent by current polls indicating that the gap that favored Clinton in the polls is closing, something he said they knew would happen. “I’m the underdog until they call me the winner,” he said asking everyone to vote on November 8th or to take advantage of early voting. A video from the Sanford event is below.
Meanwhile, Kaine’s wife, Anne Holton, was in Omaha, Nebraska where she held two events in appreciation of campaign volunteers. Full coverage from Holton’s events will be posted when/if available.
To: HFA GOTV Volunteers
From: Robby Mook
Re: The Choice Facing Voters in This Election
We are just days away from the most important election of our generation concluding. Already, over twenty million people have voted, which is an all-time record this early in the voting process. With the stakes so high, a record 70,000 volunteer shifts were completed this weekend alone to get Hillary and Democrats up and down the ballot elected. That’s more shifts than on the same weekend in 2008 or 2012 for President Obama–and those numbers will grow dramatically in the coming days.
I cannot overstate the fact that battleground states have that name for a reason–the result will be incredibly close and the presidency could hinge on the outcome. Your work to communicate our message and get our supporters to the polls will be the margin of victory in these states.
Since each of you will be spending so much time talking to voters in the coming weeks, I wanted to brief you on what’s really at stake on in this election, so you can help spread the message. There have been a lot of ups and downs in this campaign. And a lot of distractions. But through it all, Hillary Clinton has stayed focused on what really matters: the American people. Their lives. Their families. The kind of country we all want for our children and grandchildren. That’s what this election is actually about. And when you clear away all the noise, the choice is stark.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t just a question of temperament and experience, although those are vital qualities in a President. What’s really on the ballot in this election are two different visions for America: Donald Trump’s dark and divisive vision that could tear our country apart, and Hillary Clinton’s hopeful, inclusive vision that says we’re stronger together.
Over the course of the next week, you will hear Hillary Clinton explain this choice to voters, including the difference between:
A president who understands the challenging world in which we live or one who is too erratic and uninformed to have control of nuclear weapons
As a former Secretary of State and senator, Hillary Clinton brings an incredible amount of experience with the key issues facing America around the world. Traveling nearly a million miles as America’s top diplomat, Hillary has handled issues ranging from nuclear proliferation to military readiness, from women’s rights to climate change, and is ready to lead from day one.
Beyond his lack of understanding of foreign policy and unwillingness to learn, Donald Trump is a loose cannon with some dangerous views on major global issues. Trump would encourage more nuclear weapons around the world, has insulted our allies and praised several authoritarian dictators. He even encouraged a foreign government to hack his opponent, and since then has refused to acknowledge the U.S. Intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government has done just that.
A president who has spent a lifetime fighting for women or one who has a career of demeaning and bullying them.
Hillary Clinton made history this year by becoming the first female nominee of a major party, but she has been breaking ground for women during her entire career. From her groundbreaking commencement speech at Wellesley to declaring for the world that “Women’s rights are human rights,” Hillary has been an inspiring voice, fighting for the rights of women around the world.
Donald Trump has a very different—and very disturbing—record. We’ve all heard the revolting comments he made on a bus 11 years ago, but while those comments were shocking and appalling, they were not surprising to anyone who has followed Trump’s many public comments over the years. Trump’s comments and actions would be unbelievable if he hadn’t spent years publicly insulting and degrading women who stood up to him, bragging about walking in on nude pageant contestants, who were often under aged, and making jokes about objectifying women. And to the women who have accused him of acting on his comments, Trump has threatened legal retribution.
A president who knows that we are stronger together, compared to one who would sow hatred and division.
Hillary Clinton believes in an America where everyone counts and everyone has a place. She’s spent her life acting on those beliefs, from her early work at the Children’s Defense Fund through a campaign that has consistently called out Trump’s division and hatred while offering a policy agenda that would bring people together and address the issues that keep us apart. Hillary has prioritized issues like immigration reform, ending LGBT discrimination and criminal justice reform.
Donald Trump set the tone of his campaign by insulting Mexican immigrants and has continued those insults and divisive comments through today. From Muslims to Gold Star families to a judge of Mexican heritage born in America to one of his own African American supporters just this past week, no one has been safe from Trump’s insults and lies. Trump has also built his political efforts around conspiracy theories, starting with the racist lie that President Obama was not born in America and support from hate movements like that alt-right—whose leaders Trump has been too slow to denounce.
A president who will fight for an economy that works for everyone or one who just fights for those at the top
Hillary Clinton understands that despite the progress we’ve made under President Obama, the deck is too often stacked against working Americans — and she has an agenda that will make the economy work better for everyone. Her plan will create good-paying jobs, make sure that those at the top pay their fair share in taxes, while offering working families help with paid family leave, affordable child care and refinancing student loans.
The choice is clear. Americans deserve a president with the temperament and experience to tackle the issues facing our country and to work with all Americans to solve them, not a candidate who has proven himself time and again to be temperamentally unfit and unqualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief. They deserve a president who holds the optimistic view that Americans are stronger together, rather than one who could destroy the values we hold dear and tear America apart.
In the coming week, voters have the opportunity to stand up for our values and reject Donald Trump’s dark divisive vision for America. Thanks to your help, their voices will win the day.
The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold published yet another explosive report revealing Trump’s lack of charitable giving, despite his history of making dramatic public promises of donations, and detailing Trump’s misuse of his foundation. Hillary Clinton highlighted the new report in her remarks today at Wilton Manors, saying it was “truly stunning.”
Washington Post: “For as long as he has been rich and famous, Donald Trump has also wanted people to believe he is generous … It was, in large part, a facade. A months-long investigation by The Washington Post has not been able to verify many of Trump’s boasts about his philanthropy.”
Slate: “The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold has spent months going through records and talking to people to try to figure out whether Donald Trump is really as charitable as he claims to be. At this point in the campaign, it should surprise no one that the answer is no... Although Trump, particularly through his foundation, did give some money to charity over the years, much of it was self-serving and the dollar amounts of his contributions were often much less than what he made it seem.”
Today in Wilton Manors, Hillary Clinton highlights Trump’s “charitable giving, or lack thereof.”
“But yesterday the Washington Post published a report that was truly stunning. It starts with the story of a ribbon-cutting back in 1996 for a nursery school serving children living with HIV and AIDS in New York. Now, let me say, this is important in part to remember. This is a story about children with HIV and AIDS. So there was a big celebration honoring the donors who had supported the nursery school, and all the kids and their families, for whom this was the most important thing you can imagine. Because you know, back in the ‘90s, some of you remember. Right? Children weren’t welcomed in school.
And then, unannounced and uninvited, guess who barges in? Donald Trump. He walks right up to the stage. He sat down in the seat that was being saved for a local developer who had made a generous donation. None of the people working for the charity knew why he was there. He wasn’t a donor at all. He had never given a single dollar to help build the school. He just wanted people to think he had. So he sat on the stage through the program, even posed for photographs, and when it was over, he got up and walked out. No explanation. No donation. Now really, who does that? What kind of person does that? Really? I mean, who pretends to help kids with HIV and AIDS in order to make themselves look good? Well, I’ll tell you: The same kind of person who would pull a bait and switch on a high school chess team.
Back in 1997, he was principal for a day at a public school. That was a program we used to have in New York. The chess team was holding a bake sale to raise money to travel to a tournament. They were $5,000 short. He walked up to them and handed them a fake million dollar bill. At first the kids and their parents were excited. Then they were devastated to learn it was a joke. So he gave them 200 bucks and drove away in his limousine. Now, this story does have a happy ending because a woman read the story about Donald Trump’s behavior, called the school, and donated the $5,000. And the coach remembers this woman saying, “I am ashamed to be the same species as this man.”
Just this morning, Kellyanne Conway was pressed on Trump’s false philanthropy and was unable to provide any evidence that Fahrenthold’s reporting was anything other than spot-on.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Tim Kaine mentioned a big story in the Washington Post that found Donald Trump’s personal giving has disappeared entirely in recent years after calling 420 plus charities with connection to trump. The post found one personal gift between 2008 and the spring of 2009. They call into question all of the promises he’s made about giving to charity. Will Trump release his tax returns and show what he’s given?
KELLYANNE CONWAY: Not until our accountants and lawyers say we should.
[…]
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Any contributions to charity over the last several years from the foundation? The Post couldn’t find any and you wouldn’t respond.
KELLYANNE CONWAY: I’m told by those in charge of the Clinton Foundation —
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Trump Foundation.
KELLYANNE CONWAY: Excuse me, yes, George. He’s been incredibly generous with his time and money over the years. He started that foundation with just his money and the only contributor for a number of years.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But nothing over the last five years.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 