On Saturday, Hillary for America Senior National Spokesperson Glen Caplin published an essay on Medium about the alleged Russian hacking of the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and HFA Chair John Podesta. In the essay, Caplin questions what Donald Trump and his campaign knew about the hacking and their connection to it. The article, titled “What did Trump know, and when did he know It?” also questions the connection between Trump advisor Roger Stone WikiLeaks following an interview in which Stone admitted to meeting with sources from WikiLeaks. While the essay asks a lot of questions, it does not accuse anyone of any wrong-doing. Read the full essay HERE.
Hillary for America Senior Policy Adviser Jake Sullivan released the following statement today in reaction to Vladimir Putin’s new comments on the U.S. election:
“Vladimir Putin just confirmed that Donald Trump is carrying Russia’s water with his pro-Putin wish list of policies, and the only question left is whether he will follow through for the Kremlin. Putin is trying to put his thumb on the scale through cyber-attacks aimed at influencing the election because he knows that Hillary Clinton will stand up to him.
“It is baffling that his campaign finds cyberattacks on America ‘refreshing’ and ‘diligent’ while continuing to coddle Russia and its leader. Given the alarming set of facts, it’s time for Donald Trump to condemn this modern day Watergate and disclose all of his campaign’s connections to Russia and WikiLeaks.”
Hillary for America released a Medium post yesterday on the Russian hack that Donald Trump refuses to admit or condemn laying out an important question that voters deserve to know – “What did Trump know, and when did he know it?” Read it here.
The campaign also released a new video cataloguing Trump’s disturbing connections to Russia and why they are so concerning. Watch it here.
Hillary for America Chair John Podesta released the following statement after the Wall Street Journal reported today that the Federal Bureau of Investigation believes Russian intelligence agencies are behind the illegal hack of his personal email account:
“It is now clear that the illegal hack of my personal email account was — just like the other recent, election-related hacks — the work of the Russian government. This level of meddling by a foreign power can only be aimed at boosting Donald Trump and should send chills down the spine of all Americans, regardless of political party. Despite receiving an intelligence briefing on the Russians’ role in masterminding these hacks, Donald Trump continues to side with the Russians by publicly denying their involvement and even cheering on further intrusions. Worst of all, the growing number of links between Trump’s associates, Wikileaks and the Russian government raises troubling questions about the possibility that Trump’s allies had advance knowledge of the release of these illegally obtained emails. I intend to continue cooperating with the FBI investigation of these illegal hacks, and expect that federal investigators will follow the evidence in this case whether it leads — from Moscow to, potentially, back here in the United States.”
Elle published a great series of Hillary Clinton’s answers to questions asked by Marley Dias, the 11-year-old creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks, a book drive dedicated to collecting stories about black girls. In the article, Dias explains that she had questions for the Democratic presidential nominee and decided to email them to her, and Clinton responded. The questions Dias asked Clinton include “What is your favorite black girl book,” “Tell me about a time that someone took credit for something you did, and how did you deal with it,” “If you were on a deserted island, what three things would you want to have with you,” and “If you had to give any advice to your 11-year-old self what would you say to her.” Clinton is open and honest in her answers, and she even reveals a story about her running for class president in high school. Read Dias’ full introduction as well as Clinton’s answers to all of her questions HERE.
On Friday, the FBI released a new document containing notes from their investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as Secretary of State. The new report is 189 pages long and features notes from interviews with Clinton staffers including Cheryl Mills and Bryan Pagliano, the person who set up and maintained Clinton’s server. The document reveals that State Department officials were concerned whether the use of private email complied with public record keeping policies. Mills and Pagliano cited other Secretaries of State that had used private email. Hillary for America spokesman Brian Fallon responded to the document release saying, “These materials further demonstrate why the Justice Department believed there was no basis to move forward with this case.” In July, the FBI announced that it did not have case against Clinton for mishandling classified information. Read a copy of the the FBI’s notes below or download a copy HERE.
This week’s episode of Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis features an interview with Hillary Clinton. During the hilarious mock interview, Galifianakis asks Clinton about the Trans Pacific Partnership and what she would do if Donald Trump wins the presidency. He also asked a number of snarky questions such as what it was like being President Barack Obama’s secretary and how he took his coffee. Galifianakis wrapped up the interview by asking, “What’s the best way to reach you? Email?” Watch the full interview below.
On Wednesday, both Bill and Chelsea Clinton were on the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Bill spoke for over half an hour about a wide variety of topics including Hillary’s email scandal, Donald Trump’s immigration proposals, and Hillary’s plan to create millions of jobs across the country. Bill also addressed his wife’s health issues saying, “She’s feeling great, and I think she’ll be back out there tomorrow [Thursday in North Carolina]. It’s a crazy time we live in, you know, when people think there’s something unusual about getting the flu. Last time I checked, millions of people were getting it every year.” A video of Bill’s speech is below.
Chelsea campaigned for Hillary today in North Carolina and Virginia. Wrapping up a two-day visit to North Carolina, Chelsea began in Raleigh where she took part in a panel of local leaders. She spoke about the importance of North Carolina in the November election and how her mother is relying on them to get out and vote. Then, in Carrboro, Chelsea spoke at a voter registration outside the local Democratic Party headquarters. She, again, spoke about the importance of voting in the November election.
She then tour a pre-k center before speaking at an organizing event in Roanoke, Virginia. Chelsea spoke about her mother’s college affordability plan which would reduce the amount of debt owed by those currently paying on student loans and ensure that future students, with family incomes of under $125,000, can finish college debt free. Chelsea said that Hillary wants to help young people build a future and reducing college debt is a big part of that plan. “We have to make investments in our young people from the beginning and then, all the way through,” she said. A video from the event will be added when/if available.
Meanwhile, a fundraiser was held in Washington, DC on behalf of Hillary for America. The event featured a conversation with Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Joe Donnelly, Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and Senator Tammy Baldwin.
Last week, the State Department announced that of the 15,000 emails found on Hillary Clinton’s email server turned over to the department by the FBI, 30 were related to the attacks in Benghazi, Libya. This past week, the State Department said that of the 30 emails, only three had been previously unreleased. The one new email is dated January 23, 2013 and is from Ambassador to Brazil Tom Shannon to Clinton’s aide Cheryl Mills complimenting Clinton on her handling of her testimony on Capitol Hill. Mills then forwarded the email to Clinton. The other two emails are forwarded copies of two previously released emails. A copy of the emails is embedded below, and a PDF copy can be downloaded HERE.
During NBC’s Commander-in-Chief forum on Wednesday night, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off for the first time. While they were interviewed separately, that did not stop them from attacking each others proposals during their conversation with moderator Matt Lauer. Clinton was interviewed first by Lauer, and she spoke about her qualifications saying that she believes that a strong commander-in-chief is “an absolute rock steadiness and mixed with strength to be able to make the hard decisions. I’ve had the unique experience of watching and working with several presidents, and these are not easy decisions.”
Clinton was asked about a wide variety of topics including her support of the Iraq war, the decision to intervene in Libya, the Iran nuclear agreement, her proposal to end the Veterans Affairs backlog, and her plan to defeat ISIS. She demonstrated her strength as a policy wonk by being able to clearly outline her policy proposals. However, Clinton was defensive as she fielded questions from the audience about her judgement and faced questions from Lauer about her emails and her handling of classified materials. Audience members asked some tough questions and some of Clinton’s answers were indirect.
Overall, the forum was a preview of what is come later this month and Clinton and Trump face off in their first debate on September 26. While the forum has received mixed reviews, Clinton clearly demonstrated her knowledge of the issues, but she needs to work on convincing the American public that she is trustworthy. During Trump’s portion of the forum, he made a number of claims that prompted several responses from Clinton’s campaign. Each of Hillary for America’s releases can be read HERE, and a replay of the forum is below.
Update (9/9/2016): Hillary for America has released the following video featuring some of Trump’s comments from the forum.
On Labor Day, Hillary Clinton campaigned in Cleveland, Ohio with running mate Tim Kaine. Kaine spoke first saying that “this is the home stretch.” Clinton then took the stage and had a brief coughing spell before she spoke about her plans to build an economy that works for everyone by increasing the minimum wage and investing in the country’s infrastructure. She spoke about her jobs plan which would create the most jobs in the country since World War II. Clinton then spoke about her strong support for working families and organized labor. A video from the Cleveland rally is below.
Today, the Clinton campaign also unveiled a new campaign plane. The Boeing 737 will be used for the remainder of the campaign cycle and is large enough for Clinton, her staff, and the press pool to travel on from event to event. Clinton welcomed the press to the plane and answered several questions from reporters on a range of topics including her thoughts on the hacking of Democratic Party emails, the FBI report about her emails, and the Clinton Foundation. A video of Clinton’s Q&A with the press is below.
Clinton then spoke at the 49th Annual Salute to Labor in Hampton, Illinois. During her speech, Clinton continued to discuss the economy and her jobs plan. She spoke about her plans to invest in the country’s infrastructure, expand the clean energy sector, and committed to building the manufacturing sector of the country. Clinton also criticized Donald Trump for not being a friend of working people saying, “My opponent thinks that wages are too high. I don’t know who he talks do.” A video of Clinton’s speech is below.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 