Kaine and Holton Visit with Supporters in New Hampshire

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Tim Kaine and Anne Holton campaigned in four New Hampshire cities today. Kaine and his wife stopped at two Hillary for America offices and a local Democratic party office today where they spoke with volunteers and Holton helped out with a phone bank. Kaine and Holton visited offices in Dover, Laconia, Manchester, and Nashua. At three of the four events, Kaine and Holton spoke with Hillary Clinton supporters as well as campaign volunteers. Kaine thanked the volunteers and urged them to keep fighting. He also spoke with voters urging them to come out and support himself and Clinton in November.

At the event in Manchester, Kaine and Holton took part in a roundtable discussion at Manchester Community College. The discussion focused on education and featured a professor from the college and former Governor John Lynch. Holton is the former Secretary of Education for the state of Virginia, and she and Kaine spoke about the importance of higher education and ensuring that students are not burdened by loan debt after college. He said, “We ought to be able to do college debt-free. Other nations do that.” Videos from the events in Laconia and Nashua are below and other videos from the day will be added when/if available.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: WMUR, WGME

John Podesta on Trump’s Meeting with President Nieto

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Hillary for America Chair John Podesta released the following information after Donald Trump’s meeting with Mexican President Peña Nieto.

Update (8/31): After reports that the Mexican President refused to pay for Trump’s wall, John Podesta added, “It turns out Trump didn’t just choke, he got beat in the room and lied about it.”

“Donald Trump has made his outlandish policy of forcing Mexico to pay for his giant wall the centerpiece of his campaign. But at the first opportunity to make good on his offensive campaign promises, Trump choked. What we saw today from a man who claims to be the ultimate ‘deal maker’ is that he doesn’t have the courage to advocate for his campaign promises when he’s not in front of a friendly crowd. We know who he is. After today’s trip, we still know where Trump stands: an immigration plan that would deport 16 million people, end birthright citizenship, repeal DACA/DAPA and build a $25 billion wall and stick the American taxpayers with the bill.”

TRUMP SAID GETTING MEXICO TO PAY FOR THE WALL WOULD BE “EASY”

Trump: “We’re Going To Build The Wall And Mexico Is Going To Pay For The Wall, Believe Me, One Hundred Percent. Believe Me. That’ll Be Very Easy. That Will Be Very, Very Easy. Politicians Think We’re Joking, We Don’t Joke. We Don’t Joke.” TRUMP: “We’re going to build the wall and Mexico is going to pay for the wall, believe me, one hundred percent. Believe me. That’ll be very easy. That will be very, very easy. Politicians think we’re joking, we don’t joke. We don’t joke. This is a movement. This is a movement, and movements don’t joke. Believe me. It’s getting worse now as thousands of recent border crossers are being relocated to the State of Virginia, and you don’t know who they are, you don’t know where they come from.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Fredericksburg VA, 8/20/16; VIDEO 33:34]

Trump: “We’re Going To Build The Wall. That Wall Will Go Up So Fast, Your Head Will Spin. And You’ll Say, ‘You Know, He Meant It.’ And You Know What Else I Mean? Mexico Is Going To Pay For The Wall.” “Responding to chants of ‘Build that wall,’ Trump assured the crowd that he would seal the southern border, a plan that is popular among his overwhelmingly white loyalists but offensive to many Latinos and Asians whose votes he needs in Colorado, Nevada and Florida. ‘Don’t worry. We’re going to build the wall,’ he said. ‘That wall will go up so fast, your head will spin. And you’ll say, “You know, he meant it.” And you know what else I mean? Mexico is going to pay for the wall.’” [Los Angeles Times, 8/22/16]

TRUMP WAS WILLING TO START A TRADE WAR WITH MEXICO OVER PAYING FOR THE WALL

Trump On What He Would Do If Mexico Would Not Pay For A Wall: “I Don’t Mind Trade Wars.” BLITZER: “If the — if the Mexicans don’t pay for the wall, will you start a trade war with Mexico?” TRUMP: “Well, you know, I don’t mind trade wars when we’re losing $58 billion a year, you want to know the truth. We’re losing so much. We’re losing so much with Mexico and China — with China, we’re losing $500 billion a year. And then people say, ‘don’t we want to trade?’ I don’t mind trading, but I don’t want to lose $500 billion. I don’t want to lose $58 billion.” [Republican Primary Debate, Houston TX, 2/25/16]

Trump Suggested He Would Be Willing To Cut Off Trade With Mexico If They Did Not Pay For The Border Wall. TRUMP: “We have a trade deficit with Mexico, $58 billion a year.  The wall is going to cost approximately $10 billion.  Believe me, they will pay in one form or another–” MATTHEWS: “If not — or else what?… So we cut off Japan, we cut off — this is the — this is your strategy in every case.  We could walk, no more trade with Mexico.”  TRUMP: “You have to always– Oh, absolutely.” MATTHEWS: “No more troops in Europe.” TRUMP:  “And by the way, when I say no more trade, once you — once they know that you are really willing to go that extra length, there will always be trade, but we’ll make good deals.  We’re making the worst trade deals.” MATTHEWS: “Yeah, but the bottom line is always we walk.” TRUMP: “You have to be able to walk, yes.  It’s unlikely that you’ll have to, but you have to be able to walk.” [MSNBC Town Hall, MSNBC, Green Bay WI, 3/30/16; VIDEO 00:58:41]

TRUMP HAS SUGGESTED TENSIONS WITH MEXICO OVER PAYING FOR THE WALL COULD BECOME PHYSICAL

Trump On Whether He Would Go To War With Mexico To Make Them Pay For The Wall: “When I Rejuvenate Our Military, Mexico’s Not Going To Be Playing With Us With War, That I Can Tell You.” WOODWARD: “If they say no, would you be willing to go to war to make sure we get the money to pay for this wall?” TRUMP: “Trust me, Bob, when I rejuvenate our military, Mexico’s not going to be playing with us with war, that I can tell you. Mexico isn’t playing with us with war. Look, I have great relationships with the Mexican people. Look, you can see I’m winning every single poll in these primaries when they go out, when the polls come back with Hispanics. I have thousands of Hispanics that work for me and tens of thousands that have worked for me over the years.” [Morning Joe, MSNBC, 3/9/16]

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Kaine Campaigns in Pennsylvania, Meg Whitman in Colorado

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On Tuesday, Tim Kaine began a two-day campaign in Pennsylvania with two events. The first event was in Erie where he spoke about Hillary Clinton’s jobs plan and her proposal to increase investments to improve the country’s infrastructure. Kaine criticized Donald Trump for not releasing his income tax returns and his close ties to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kaine also responded to questions about Clinton’s health saying, “Can I give you an up-close-and-personal on this? I have been on the trail with Hillary for five weeks, and I can barely keep up with her!” A video from the event is below.

Kaine traveled to Lancaster where he spoke to a group of supporters at the local Boys and Girls Club. During his speech, Kaine touted Clinton’s plan to build the economy by creating millions of jobs, in fact, the most since World War II. He explained that Pennsylvania would benefit with a gain of over 400,000 jobs. Kaine also spoke about Trump calling on him to release his tax returns as both he and Clinton have done. He also criticized Trump’s divisive language warning that we need to work together to move America forward. A video of Kaine’s speech is below.

Meanwhile, in Denver, Colorado, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Meg Whitman campaigned on behalf of Clinton and Kaine. During an event, she spoke about her political background as a Republican and why she is supporting Clinton over Trump. “If you are a lifelong Republican, it’s hard to come across (the partisan divide). But I decided that this year it was clear to me that Secretary Clinton’s temperament, leadership experience and commitment to America’s foundational values make her the far better choice for president.” Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper also spoke at the event.

Yesterday, a fundraiser was held in Pensacola Beach, Florida on behalf of Hillary for America. The event featured a conversation with Senator Bill Nelson. A fundraiser was held today in Concord, Massachusetts. The event was held at the home of Allison Picott and Michael Goldstein and included a conversation with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: PennLive.com, The Denver Post, NBC 10, The New York Times

HFA Statement On Trump’s Immigration Meeting

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Hillary for America Chair John Podesta released a statement responding to the meeting Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee held. A copy of the statement is below:

“We believe the RNC official in the room, the campaign’s statement after the meeting and the candidate himself that Donald Trump’s immigration plan remains the same as it’s always been: tear apart families and deport 16 million people from the United States. One need look no further for confirmation than Donald Trump’s own words and the TV ad released on Friday that’s being lauded by white supremacists.”

RNC Official:

Breitbart: RNC Official at Trump’s Hispanic Meeting Debunks False BuzzFeed, Univision Reports that Donald Succumbed to Amnesty Activists

Trump campaign statement: 

“Mr. Trump said nothing today that he hasn’t said many times before, including in his convention speech—enforce our immigration laws, uphold the Constitution and be fair and humane while putting American workers first.  Today’s conversation was productive and enlightening, and Mr. Trump looks forward to speaking with these leaders again soon and often.” — Steven Cheung, Trump Campaign

Donald Trump’s Own Words:

TRUMP’S POSITION HAS BEEN THAT HE WOULD “HUMANELY” USE A DEPORTATION FORCE TO ROUND-UP AND DEPORT 16 MILLION PEOPLE

Trump: “You’re Going To Have A Deportation Force, And You’re Going To Do It Humanely.” “‘But still tell me the how. Are you going to have a massive deportation force?’ Brzezinski asked. Trump responded affirmatively: ‘You’re going to have a deportation force, and you’re going to do it humanely, and you’re going to bring the country — and, frankly, the people, because you have some excellent, wonderful people, some fantastic people that have been here for a long period of time.’” [Washington Post, 11/11/15]

Trump: “It’s Not Only Deportation. It’s Building A Wall And I Mean A Real Wall… But It’s Going To Be Done In A Very Humane Fashion. People Will Have To Go Out, They Are Illegal Immigrants.. They Have To Go Out And They Have To Come Back Legally.” TRUMP: “Well first of all, it’s not only deportation. It’s building a wall and I mean a real wall. Mexico will pay for the wall. Most politicians wouldn’t understand how you go about doing that. It will happen. It’s basically quite simple. But it’s going to be done in a very humane fashion. People will have to go out, they are illegal immigrants, they came in illegally. They have to go out and they have to come back legally. Bret, there will be a deportation, and hopefully they’ll be able to come back into the country.” [Special Report with Bret Baier, Fox News, 11/12/15]

Trump: “You Can Do It On A Humane Basis… Good Ones Can Come Back, But They Have To Go Through A Process” A “Long Process.” TRUMP: “And you can do it on a humane basis. You can do it on a basis where it works. And they come back — good ones can come back, but they have to go through a process. We have million of people wanting to get into the country and they are doing it legally, and they’re going through this long process, and it’s really unfair to them also.” [Mornings With Maria, Fox Business, 11/6/15]

Trump Said Undocumented Immigrants Who Were Rounded Up Were “Going To Be Happy Because They Want To Be Legalized… I Know It Doesn’t Sound Nice, But Not Everything Is Nice, Somebody Has To Do It.” SCOTT PELLEY: “Let’s assume your wall has gone up.” DONALD TRUMP: “Good.” SCOTT PELLEY: “Eleven, twelve million illegal immigrants—” DONALD TRUMP: “Or whatever the number is.” SCOTT PELLEY: “Still in the country, what do you do?” DONALD TRUMP: “If they’ve done well, they’re going out and they’re coming back in legally. Because you said it—” SCOTT PELLEY: “You’re rounding them all up?” DONALD TRUMP: “We’re rounding them up in a very humane way, in a very nice way. And they’re going to be happy because they want to be legalized. And, by the way, I know it doesn’t sound nice, but not everything is nice, somebody has to do it.” SCOTT PELLEY: “It doesn’t sound practical.” DONALD TRUMP: “It is practical. It’s going to work. They have to come here legally. And, you know, when I talk about the wall, and I said it before, we’re going to have a tremendous, beautiful, wide-open door. Nice big door. We want people to come into the country.” [60 Minutes, CBS, 9/27/15]

TRUMP COMPARED HIS “HUMANE” MASS DEPORTATION PLAN TO OPERATION WETBACK

Trump Compared His “Humane” Mass Deportation Plans To Operation Wetback, Saying Eisenhower Did This In The 1950s “And It Worked.” “Trump made his affinity for Operation Wetback clear during an interview with CBS’s Scott Pelley in September. Speaking on 60 Minutes Overtime, Pelley asked Trump to explain his plans for curbing illegal immigration. ‘We’re rounding them up in a very humane way, a very nice way,’ Trump said, as he has expressed before. ‘What does that roundup look like to you?’ Pelley pressed. ‘How does it work? Are you going to have cops going door-to-door?’ Trump interjected: ‘Did you like Eisenhower? Did you like Dwight Eisenhower as a president at all?’ ‘He did this,’ the presidential candidate said. ‘He did this in the 1950s with over a million people, and a lot of people don’t know that…and it worked.’” [Washington Post, 11/11/15]

  • HEADLINE: “Donald Trump’s ‘Humane’ 1950s Model For Deportation, ‘Operation Wetback’, Was Anything But.”[Washington Post, 11/11/15]Trump Argued That There Was A Precedent For Mass Deportation Because Eisenhower Did So In The 1950s.TRUMP: “Well, we’re on the same side of it. You know if you back to the early 1950s, Dwight Eisenhower, and I made that point during the debate, he took out in terms of illegal immigration, he felt you had to do it. He was a nice man, a high quality man, but he moved out 1.5 million people and brought them back to where they came from. They were here illegally. I think — it really does have big precedent. We either have a country or we don’t, Sean. We have a country, we have to have borders, we have borders, and we have to have laws. We either have a country or we don’t. It’s that simple.” [Hannity, Fox News, 11/10/15]

Trump On Moving Undocumented Immigrants Out Of The U.S.: “Dwight Eisenhower Had The Exact Same Situation And He Moved Out One And A Half Million People And Very Few People Talked About It And It Was A Tough Situation, But What He Did Is He Did It.” TRUMP: “We’re going to work a plan. You know that in 19 — in an early 1950s, Dwight Eisenhower had the exact same situation and he moved out one and a half million people and very few people talked about it and it was a tough situation, but what he did is he did it. And, you know, I like Ike. The expression is I like Ike. That was his whole campaign. He was the nice guy supposedly. He moved out a million and a half people. And actually, he moved them right up to the border and move them over. They came back. Moved them again, they came back, then he brought them all the way south and they never came back. I mean, you know, it’s a very famous thing. People don’t talk about it.” [Mornings With Maria, 11/6/15]

Trump: “Dwight Eisenhower Moved Over A Million, It’s Actually A Million And A Half People Back In To The South Through The Border Because It Was A Huge Problem. Nobody Ever Mentions It. It Was A Major Operation.” TRUMP: “Very detailed. It’s very detail, then we explain– do you know that Dwight Eisenhower who is a nice general, in the 1950s, do you know that he moved over a million people out and what he did, he brought them to the border and they came right back. Brought them to the boarder, and they came right back. Then what they did is they took them and moved them all the way down south and they never came back. But Dwight Eisenhower moved over a million, it’s actually a million and a half people back in to the south through the border because it was a huge problem. Nobody ever mentions it. It was a major operation, a million and a half people which is maybe the equivalent in those days, and he moved them out because we had a huge problem in the 1950s. Nobody ever talks about it.” [The Today Show, NBC, 10/26/15]

More From Trump:

HuffPo: Donald Trump: Babies Born To Undocumented Immigrants Aren’t U.S. CitizensNot only does Donald Trump support ending birthright citizenship, the real estate mogul now says children born to undocumented immigrants on U.S. soil aren’t American citizens at all. “I don’t think they have American citizenship and if you speak to some very, very good lawyers — and I know some will disagree — but many of them agree with me and you’re going to find they do not have American citizenship. We have to start a process where we take back our country. Our country is going to hell,” Trump said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday night. The current front runner for the Republican presidential nomination added that he wants to “test out” his views in court and that he would ultimately allow “good ones” to apply to return to the U.S. once all undocumented immigrants were deported…There were an estimated 4.5 million U.S.-born children younger than the age of 18 living with at least one undocumented parent in 2012, according to a 2014 Pew Hispanic Center report.

Slate: Trump: Children of Undocumented Immigrants Must be Deported: Deport them all. That seems to be Donald Trump’s nuanced message. All undocumented immigrants must be deported and any children they had while in the country should be kicked out as well. “We’re going to keep the families together, but they have to go,” Trump said on NBC’s Meet the Press. What about the kids who have lived their whole lives in the United States and have nowhere to go? “They have to go,” he said. “We will work with them. They have to go. Chuck, we either have a country, or we don’t have a country.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal

Clinton Campaign Reinforces Clinton’s Good Health

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Today, Hillary for America released a fact sheet combating conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton’s health. The release references the official physicians report released by Clinton’s doctor in 2015 and denies all allegations that Clinton’s health is failing. The full release is below.

Trump Pushes Deranged Conspiracy About Clinton’s Health To Distract From Tax Return Questions

Facing withering criticism from national media outlets, state editorial boards and even some Republican allies over his refusal to release his tax returns, Donald Trump is once again peddling deranged conspiracy theories in a desperate attempt to change the subject – this time with absurd and debunked claims about Hillary Clinton’s health.

This is hardly the first time Trump and his allies have donned tin foil hats when things weren’t going his way.  When his back was previously up against the wall, he’s suggested President Obama was a Muslim with ISIS sympathies, that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was murdered and that Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Now, with the help of his well-oiled network of conspiracy peddlers – from Roger Stone to Sean Hannity – Trump is desperately trying to give life to already busted myths about the health of a woman whose stamina and focus was publicly lauded following an 11 hours long hearing about the tragedy in Benghazi.

Per his long pattern, Trump will clearly say or do anything to avoid the barrage of questions only his tax returns can answer: Whether he’s worth as much as he dubiously claims?  Whether his pro-Kremlin policies stem from financial conflicts of interest with Russian oligarchs?  Or whether he actually gives as much as he says to charity?

“While it is dismaying to see the Republican nominee for president push deranged conspiracy theories in a foreign policy speech, it’s no longer surprising,” said Jennifer Palmieri. “Donald Trump is simply parroting lies based on fabricated documents promoted by Roger Stone and his right wing allies. Hillary Clinton has released a detailed medical record showing her to be in excellent health plus her personal tax returns since 1977, while Trump has failed to provide the public with the most basic financial information disclosed by every major candidate in the last 40 years. It’s time for him to stop using shameful distractions to hide his own record.”

Two Deranged, Debunked Conspiracies About Clinton’s Health

The Doctors’ Letters

Trump confidant and discredited conspiracy peddler Roger Stone and his right-wing allies have been pushing fake medical documents supposedly leaked from Hillary Clinton’s physician that purport to show grave health problems.

However, here’s a statement from the actual Dr. Lisa Bardack, Hillary Clinton’s real internist and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at CareMount Medical, debunking the veracity of these false documents:

“As Secretary Clinton’s long time physician, I released a medical statement during the campaign indicating that she is in excellent health.  I have recently been made aware of allegedly ‘leaked’ medical documents regarding Secretary Clinton with my name on them. These documents are false, were not written by me and are not based on any medical facts. To reiterate what I said in my previous statement, Secretary Clinton is in excellent health and fit to serve as President of the United States.”

Here’s a link to the actual medical records about Hillary Clinton released by Dr. Bardack (written on actual letterhead) with the concluding summary directly below:

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 Now compare that to the medical records released from Donald Trump’s gastroenterologist – not internist — that makes several peculiar claims that Kurt Eichenwald, senior writer at Newsweek, dissected in a must watch segment on CNN this morning:

  1. Eichenwald: “This is not a real letter because what you have, number one, it’s not from an internist. It’s from a doctor who treats digestive problems.”

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  1. Eichenwald: “He says that all of Mr. Trump’s medical tests are positive. That means that everything he was tested for, he has. No competent or real doctor would write this.”

Only Positive Results

  1. Eichenwald: “It also says such things as ‘Donald Trump will be the healthiest president in the history of the United States.’ That sounds a lot like Donald Trump.”

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  1. Eichenwald: “It doesn’t have a real letter letterhead. The letterhead was written on Microsoft Word.”

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Hannity Drafts Urologist To Diagnose Potential Head Trauma Via Video Tape

To push the baseless narrative about lingering head trauma, Trump surrogate Sean Hannity drafted a urologist – not a neurologist – wearing a white physician’s coat to help diagnose whether a video tape was evidence of repercussions from previous head trauma.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Meet the Clinton-Kaine Transition Team

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Hillary Clinton’s campaign released the names of the Clinton-Kaine senior transition team. The group will be tasked with building an administration if she wins in November. The group will begin working out of Washington, DC. The full detailed release from Hillary for America is below.

Two weeks after paperwork was filed to formally establish the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, John Podesta — the Chair of Hillary for America and the President of the Transition project — announced several top officials who will lead the transition planning over the coming months. This senior leadership team will oversee a Washington-based operation that is dedicated to preparing for a potential Clinton-Kaine administration, enabling the Brooklyn-based campaign organization to stay exclusively focused on the task of electing Hillary Clinton as the nation’s 45th President of the United States.

Ken Salazar, former Secretary of the Interior and United States senator from Colorado, will serve as Chair of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project.

Salazar will serve alongside four co-chairs — former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, President of the Center for American Progress Neera Tanden, and Maggie Williams, Director of the Institute of Politics, Harvard University.

Ed Meier and Ann O’Leary, two top campaign policy advisers, will shift full-time to the Transition team to serve as co-executive directors and manage the project’s day-to-day operations. Heather Boushey, the Executive Director of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, will serve as Chief Economist.

“We are extremely pleased that such an accomplished group of public servants has agreed to lead the transition planning for a potential Clinton-Kaine administration,” Podesta said. “While our campaign remains focused on the task at hand of winning in November, Hillary Clinton wants to be able to get to work right away as President-elect on building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. These individuals, who bring a deep level of experience in the work of presidential transitions, will help us build a team that is ready to govern after the general election.”

“Once Hillary Clinton makes history by being elected as the nation’s first woman President, we want to have a turnkey operation in place so she can hit the ground running right away,” Salazar said. “A Clinton-Kaine administration will build on the progress we’ve made under President Obama, and tackle a new set of challenges both at home and abroad. This transition team will undertake the preparations necessary to ensure our next President has the resources and staff to carry out this all-important work.”

The Clinton-Kaine Transition Project is a 501(c)(4) organization. It was officially established through the filing of paperwork two weeks ago in the District of Columbia, with Podesta named as the entity’s President and Hillary for America senior adviser Minyon Moore as Secretary.

A 2010 law, known as the Pre-Election Transition Act, formalized the process for the transfer of powers from one administration to the next, and provided new resources to both party nominees so they each could take steps ahead of the general election to ensure a seamless transition. In keeping with the law, the Obama administration will host initial, transition planning meetings with representatives of both the Trump and Clinton campaigns. After the two parties’ conventions, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough phoned both campaigns to indicate that, among other steps, workspace administered by the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C., was officially available to both campaigns to use for their respective transition planning.

Biographies for the leadership of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project appear below.

Ken Salazar, Chair of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, served under President Obama as the 50th Secretary of the Interior from 2009-2013. Prior to that, he was U.S. Senator from Colorado from 2005-2009. From 1999 until his election to the U.S. Senate, Salazar served as Attorney General for Colorado. He currently works as a partner at the international law firm WilmerHale.

Tom Donilon, Co-Chair of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, served as National Security Advisor to President Obama from 2010-2013. Donilon had leadership roles in the State Department and NSC transitions in 2008. He served as Deputy National Security Advisor before becoming President Obama’s top national security aide. Donilon served during the Clinton Administration as Chief of Staff at the Department of State. Donilon is currently Vice Chair at the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers.

Jennifer Granholm, Co-Chair of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, was the 47th Governor of the State of Michigan. Prior to her two terms as Governor, she served as Michigan’s Attorney General from 1999-2003. She was the first woman in state history to be elected to either position. During her tenure as Governor, she led Michigan through a severe economic downturn by diversifying the state’s economy, strengthening its automotive industry and investing in new sectors such as clean energy. After leaving office, Granholm served as an advisor to Pew Charitable Trusts’ Clean Energy Program. She is also a Senior Research Fellow with the Berkeley Energy and Climate Institute.

Neera Tanden, Co-Chair of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, currently serves as President of the Center for American Progress. Prior to that, she served as a senior adviser for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, working to help enact President Obama’s landmark health reform law. During the 2008 campaign, Tanden served as policy director for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, then became the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden campaign during the general election. Earlier in her career, she was Legislative Director for Clinton in her Senate office, and deputy campaign manager on Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign.

Maggie Williams, Co-Chair of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, is the Director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is the former Communications Director for the Children’s Defense Fund; served as the 1992 transition director for First Lady Hillary Clinton, and as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to First Lady Hillary Clinton. Maggie is founding partner of management consulting firm, Griffin Williams CPM, from which she took a leave of absence in 2008 to manage the presidential primary campaign of then-Senator Clinton. Maggie is Vice Chair of the Trustee Board of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and serves on the Board of the Scholastic Corporation.

Ed Meier, Co-Executive Director of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, most recently served as the Director of Policy Outreach at Hillary for America. Prior to his work on the campaign, Meier served as Senior Adviser to the Deputy Secretary of State during Clinton’s tenure at the State Department. In addition to his service in government, Meier has worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and served as Chief Operating Officer at Big Thought, an education nonprofit in Dallas.

Ann O’Leary, Co-Executive Director of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, most recently served as Senior Policy Adviser at Hillary for America, handling issues including college affordability, health care and family economic security.  Prior to joining the campaign, O’Leary was senior vice president and director of the Children and Families Program at Next Generation. O’Leary was also founding executive director of the University of California, Berkeley, Law School’s Center on Health, Economic & Family Security, and a Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Francisco. She held a number of roles during the Clinton administration, including policy adviser to the First Lady and assistant to the President on the Domestic Policy Council. She was also Legislative Director in Clinton’s Senate office from 2001-2003.

Heather Boushey, Chief Economist of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, is the Executive Director and Chief Economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Dr. Boushy previously served as as an economist for the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and the Economic Policy Institute. She is a leading researcher on the issue of income inequality and author of “Finding Time: The Economics of Work-Life Conflict” from Harvard University Press.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The New York Times, Vox

Memo: Trump Unfit To Be Commander In Chief

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Today, Jake Sullivan, Hillary for America Senior Policy Advisor, released the following memo outlining the campaign’s arguments as to why they believe Donald Trump is unfit to be president. The full release and video are below.

To: Interested Parties
From: Jake Sullivan, Hillary For America Senior Policy Adviser
Re: Trump Unfit To Be Commander In Chief
Date: Monday, August 15, 2016

This is not a normal election. Simply put, Donald Trump is unfit to be our commander in chief. This isn’t overcranked campaign rhetoric – national security experts across the political spectrum are issuing the same warning.

Trump is erratic. He’s thin-skinned. He’s vindictive. He praises dictators and displays a strange affinity for Putin. He trash talks America and threatens to abandon our allies. He uses dangerous rhetoric and proposes dangerous policies that play into the hands of terrorists. He talks casually about nuclear weapons. He knows nothing about foreign policy and he has no interest in learning.

Last week, we got yet another clear and alarming reminder of his lack of fitness for the job.  Reading off the talking points of Vladimir Putin and our other adversaries, Trump falsely claimed that Barack Obama founded ISIS. The world noticed. Just days later, the leader of Hezbollah – a terrorist organization that seeks Israel’s destruction – approvingly quoted Trump’s comments.

Hillary Clinton is uniquely qualified and prepared to assume the role of commander in chief. And Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified. She has serious plans to make our country more secure, and a record of leadership to back it up. He has neither. She is proud to call herself an American and of her work as a public servant. He calls America a third-world country.

The choice is clear. It’s not a choice between a Democrat and a Republican, but between a responsible leader who will keep us safe, and a volatile man who threatens our security.

Background:

Arrogance And Ignorance: A Dangerous Combination

When it comes to foreign policy – just like everything else – Donald Trump is convinced he knows more than anyone in the room. Asked who he consults to help shape his views, Trump explained that he mostly just relies on himself because he has “a very good brain.” His lack of interest in learning from others is reflected in his lack of knowledge of basic facts on foreign affairs:

  • Donald Trump on who he speaks to on foreign policy: “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.”
  • Donald Trump on foreign policy experts: “Honestly, most of them are no good.”
  • Donald Trump: “I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.”
  • USA Today: Trump attributes Russia knowledge to hosting Miss Universe pageant there
  • Boston Globe Editorial: “Not only did Trump not know the basics of the US nuclear triad (the Pentagon’s land, sea, and air contingent of nuclear forces)…”
  • Washington Post: Trump’s top example of foreign experience: A Scottish golf course losing millions
  • Weekly Standard: Trump Confuses Iran’s Quds Forces and Kurds Fighting ISIS

Proposals Trump Has Made Would Make Us Less Safe

Donald Trump has offered a lot of rhetoric but very few actual proposals. The few plans he has put forth – like his Muslim ban – are out of step with our values and our common sense. From suggesting we should abandon our allies to calling for bringing back torture, Trump’s policies would make us less safe. Some align with Vladimir Putin’s interests and not with American interests; others play into ISIS’ hands:

  • Donald Trump: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.
  • Donald Trump: “It’s really rather amazing, maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants.”
  • Vox: Donald Trump: make America great again by letting more countries have nukes
  • Donald Trump: “We don’t really need NATO in its current form. NATO is obsolete… if we have to walk, we walk.”
  • BBC: Trump says US may abandon automatic protections for NATO countries
  • Politico: Trump calls Geneva Conventions ‘the problem’
  • Donald Trump: “The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families”
  • Donald Trump: “Don’t tell me it doesn’t work — torture works… Waterboarding is fine, but it’s not nearly tough enough, ok?”
  • Donald Trump: “The case could be made, that let [Japan] protect themselves against North Korea. They’d probably wipe them out pretty quick….Good luck, folks, enjoy yourself. If they fight, that would be terrible, right? But if they do, they do.
  • AP: Donald Trump encourages Russian hackers to spy on Hillary Clinton
  • Politico: Trump changed views on Ukraine after hiring Manafort
  • New York Times: “It is not clear that Mr. Manafort’s work in Ukraine ended with his work with Mr. Trump’s campaign. A communications aide for Mr. Lyovochkin, who financed Mr. Manafort’s work, declined to say whether he was still on retainer or how much he had been paid.”
  • Mother Jones: Is Donald Trump’s Campaign Manager Still on the Payroll of a Ukrainian Political Leader?
  • New York Times: “Handwritten ledgers show $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from Mr. Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party from 2007 to 2012, according to Ukraine’s newly formed National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal off-the-books system whose recipients also included election officials.”
  • New York Times: “A separate deal also funneled Russian-linked oligarchic money into Ukraine… Mr. Deripaska agreed to pay a 2 percent annual management fee to Mr. Manafort and his partners, and put $100 million into the fund…”

Dangerous Rhetoric: Trump Praises Dictators, Bashes America And Our Leaders, Stokes Islamophobia

The Trump *candidacy* alone is undermining our national security.  He is the nominee representing one of America’s two major political parties.  His words matter.  Whether he’s praising dictators, channeling the talking points of our enemies, attacking American leaders and those who have sacrificed the most for our country, or stoking Islamophobia, those words are doing harm to our friends and emboldening our adversaries:

  • Donald Trump: “You’ve got to give [Kim Jong Un] credit. How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals…. It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle. He wiped out this one, that one.”
  • NBC News: Trump Calls Tiananmen Square Protests a ‘Riot,’ Defends Calling Crackdown ‘Strong’
  • Donald Trump: “I will tell you in terms of leadership [Putin] is getting an ‘A,’ and our president is not doing so well.”
  • Washington Post: Donald Trump praises Saddam Hussein for killing terrorists ‘so good’
  • Huffington Post: Trump Once Praised Tyrants For Not Being Politically Correct
  • Washington Post: The 100-plus times Donald Trump assured us that America is a laughingstock
  • New York Times: Donald Trump Calls Obama ‘Founder of ISIS’ and Says It Honors Him
  • ABC News: Hezbollah Leader Echoes Trump That Obama, Clinton Founded ISIS
  • Donald Trump: “[John McCain’s] not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured, ok? I hate to tell you.”
  • BuzzFeed: Trump: I Don’t Regret McCain Comments, My Poll Numbers Went Up
  • Donald Trump on our generals: “Well, they don’t know much, because they’re not winning.”
  • Washington Post: Donald Trump says he ‘always wanted to get the Purple Heart’
  • Reuters: Trump’s Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Is Fueling More Islamophobic Incidents

Independent and Republican Experts Agree: Trump Is Uniquely Dangerous

When all of this is taken together, it paints a striking picture: Donald Trump isn’t a normal presidential nominee. He is a uniquely dangerous candidate. The result? Foreign policy experts across the board – from lifelong Republicans to apolitical national security officials – are speaking out to say they cannot accept the prospect of a Trump presidency:

  • New York Times (8/8/16): 50 G.O.P. Officials Warn Donald Trump Would Put Nation’s Security ‘at Risk’: “He does not encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behavior. All of these are dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be president and commander in chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.”
  • Washington Post (8/8/16): Former GOP national security officials: Trump would be ‘most reckless’ American president in history
  • Washington Post (8/4/16): Republicans are among a new list of foreign policy experts denouncing Trump: “We find Trump’s comments to be reckless, dangerous, and extremely unwise.  They contradict a core, bipartisan principle found in every U.S. administration — that our security in North America is indivisible with our democratic allies in Europe.”
  • Washington Post (3/3/16): Trump is ‘fundamentally dishonest,’ say GOP national security leaders in open letter: “[Trump’s] vision of American influence and power in the world is wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. He swings from isolationism to military adventurism within the space of one sentence.”
  • Former Acting CIA Director Mike Morell: In sharp contrast to Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trump has no experience on national security. Even more important, the character traits he has exhibited during the primary season suggest he would be a poor, even dangerous, commander in chief…. In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”
  • GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger: “I’m an American before I’m a Republican. I’m saying for me personally, how can I support that? Because he’s crossed so many red lines that a commander in chief or a candidate for commander in chief should never cross.”
  • GOP Rep. Richard Hanna: “[Trump’s] unhinged. It’s difficult to imagine why anyone could support him. He comes across as a demagogue. He comes across as a guy who, frankly, Putin has made a fool of.”
  • ABC News: Gen. John Allen Says Donald Trump Could Cause ‘Civil Military Crisis’: “What we do have to do, George, is listen to what he’s been saying about our military,” Allen said. “He’s called it a disaster. He says our military can’t win anymore. That’s a direct insult to every single man and woman who’s wearing the uniform today.”
  • Defense One: Former Bush Officials — Negroponte and Donley — Endorse Clinton. Former Air Force Secretary Michael Donley: “Her deep experience in public service, even temperament, willingness to listen to others and unifying message stands in stark contrast with Donald Trump, who has sown divisiveness at home, confused our allies abroad and shown repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, judgment, character and common decency the American people deserve and should expect in their leadership.”
  • PoliticsUSA: Former Reagan/Bush Ambassador Calls Trump Incompetent As Republicans Flock To Clinton: “The Republican nominee for President has no government experience and has done nothing in his career to demonstrate that he is competent to be President. He has made repeated misstatements and inaccurate statements. He has insulted minorities, women, a war hero and Gold Star parents. He is unqualified and unfit to be President.”
  • Republican foreign policy expert Max Boot: “Trump is an ignorant demagogue who traffics in racist and misogynistic slurs and crazy conspiracy theories. He champions protectionism and isolationism — the policies that brought us the Great Depression and World War II.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Clinton Accepts Presidential Debate Schedule

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On Monday, Hillary for America Chair John Podesta released a statement saying that Hillary Clinton has accepted the dates and locations for the presidential debates as scheduled by the independent debate commission. Republican Donald Trump has voiced his concerns about the debates and moderators. The debates will begin in late September with the last in late October, a few weeks before the election. View the debate dates on our Scheduled Events page. Presidential debates are scheduled by an independent organization. A copy of Podesta’s statement is below.

“Secretary Clinton looks forward to participating in all three presidential debates scheduled by the independent debate commission. With so much at stake in the fall elections, she believes these debates will provide the American people with an important opportunity to hear from the candidates on issues critical to the country’s future. It is concerning that the Trump campaign is already engaged in shenanigans around these debates. It is not clear if he is trying to avoid the debates, or merely toying with the press to create more drama. Either way, our campaign is not interested in playing along with a debate about debates or bargaining around them. The only issue now is whether Donald Trump is going to show up to debate at the date, times, places and formats set by the commission last year through a bipartisan process. We accept the commission’s invitation and expect Donald Trump will do the same.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: CBS News

Tim Kaine Hits Campaign Trail in Richmond

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In his home state of Virginia, Tim Kaine kicked off on his first solo campaign event since being announced as Hillary Clinton’s running mate. He spent the day in Richmond where he started the day by visiting Hillary for America volunteers. Then, he held a rally in the city this afternoon. During his speech, he spoke about a number of Clinton’s plans including her proposals for education, infrastructure, and her jobs plan. Kaine contrasted the economic plans proposed by Clinton and Donald Trump saying that, according to study by Moody’s, Trump’s plan would lead to recession while Clinton’s would stimulate and grow the economy. Kaine called Clinton a leader and spoke about her experience and knowledge on a number of domestic and foreign policy issues. Watch a video of Kaine’s speech below.

Meanwhile, in Boulder, Colorado, a dinner and conversation was held with Governor John Hickenlooper and Kimbal Musk. The dinner featured foot prepared by Chef Biju Thomas, and the topic of conversation included farming and food sourcing.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, WUSA9

Clinton, Kaine Wrap Up Bus Tour in Ohio

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On Sunday, Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine wrapped up their jobs focused bus tour in Ohio. Although it was initially reported that Clinton would not appear in Cleveland, Clinton did make a stop in the city and spoke during Sunday services at Imani Temple Ministry. During her brief remarks, Clinton spoke about the promise of America and her plans to defend the American dream. A video of her address is below (I apologize for the poor audio).

Clinton and Kaine’s final event of the bus tour was a rally in Columbus. Kaine and Clinton both continued to focus their remarks on her jobs plan and improvements to the infrastructure; however, Clinton did address comments made by Donald Trump about retired General John Allen and Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim American solder killed in 2004. Clinton said that she was disgusted by Trump’s divisive language saying, “It’s going to be up to all of us to repudiate the hatefulness, attacks on distinguished military leaders … or insulting the family of a fallen soldier, Captain Khan, an American Muslim who sacrificed his life to protect his unit and other soldiers.” A video from the event is below.

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News Source: Fox 8, The Columbus Dispatch