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Clinton Chief Strategist Pushed Out
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ShareApril 06, 2008 6:38 PM
ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Jake Tapper and Eloise Harper Report: Mark Penn has been pushed out as chief strategist of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after his work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes, sources tell ABC News.
Sources said that the Clintons were angry to learn about Penn's work, especially because they had been told that Penn had recused himself from controversial clients and would restrict his private work.
Though Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign," sources told ABC News Penn was pushed.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday that Penn, who also is chief executive of the lobbying and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, had been hired by the Colombian government to help secure a trade deal.
On Saturday, the Colombian government said it was firing Penn's firm after he said through the Clinton campaign that his consultations with Colombian officials were "an error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it."
Clinton spoke about her opposition to the Colombia trade deal last week in her speech to the AFL-CIO in Philadelphia, and on Saturday seven labor unions that are part of the "Change to Win" coalition called for Clinton to fire Penn.
"The Penn situation -- and the lack of action by you -- raises serious questions about the veracity of your claims of what you would do should you become president," the unions said in a statement released Saturday.
Penn's firm -- Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. -- will remain on board providing polling and advice to the campaign, though he will no longer serve as the chief strategist, Williams said. Instead, Geoff Garin and Howard Wolfson will head up the message for the campaign.
The Colombia trade controversy was not the first case in which a client of Penn's irritated the Clinton campaign.
The work a Burson Marsteller subsidiary did for controversial war contractor Blackwater, and Penn's work for the union-busting corporation Cintas were other instances in which the Clinton campaign didn't appreciate having its name associated with Penn clients.
But it was a bridge too far for Penn when Sen. Hillary Clinton heard the news that Penn had met with the Colombians on the trade deal.
Penn also was regarded by many in the campaign as too self-serving, particularly after a Los Angeles Times profile of the campaign written after her horrible month of February, when Penn was quoted saying that he had "no direct authority in the campaign," describing himself as merely "an outside message advisor with no campaign staff reporting to me."
"I have had no say or involvement in four key areas -- the financial budget and resource allocation, political or organizational sides," he reportedly said. "Those were the responsibility of Patti Solis Doyle, Harold Ickes and Mike Henry, and they met separately on all matters relating to those areas."
That eyebrow-raising display of running from failure was contradicted by senior staffers such as Wolfson, who told the newspaper that Penn had top responsibility for strategy and message.
Then there was this infamous exchange with Clinton consigliere Ickes from a recent Washington Post profile of the campaign:
Ickes to Penn: "[Expletive] you!"
Penn to Ickes: "[Expletive] you!"
Ickes to Penn: "[Expletive] you!"
April 6, 2008 in Bush, George W. | Permalink | User Comments (466)
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The Clinton's did give 10 million to charity. Most of it to....... the Clinton Foundation of which only half has been used. The other half just sits there waiting for their charity Needs. These people are a joke. Love that they released then at 4pm on Friday no less. They aren't afraid of anything and if this were so crystal clean why did it take months to get the data. Oh yeah thats right it was in a file drawer somewhere and they couldn't find them. They are too much! Can't wait to see them fade into the sunset forever!! Loving it!
Posted by: No Way | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:14 PM
raf Campaigns have their ups and downs. This is not an implosion. The media could find very little wrong with the Clintons' tax records and they gave them years and years. The Clintons gave $10 million dollars to charity. Why isn't that publicized?
it is because they gave it back to them selfs the clinton foundation, any other question.
Posted by: grm | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:35 PM
Will somebody find out the organizations who paid Clinton so much money and their connection to Dubai? How can you have a potential President beholden to Dubai, which advocates the destruction of Israel?
Posted by: vsaijwani | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:41 PM
...and the Clinton tag-team still think they have a chance?
If they can't run their own campaign, what chance the rest of the country?
How many people now have they fired or "resigned"!!!
Come on Hillary, the joke is not funny anymore. Quit while you have some dignity still! Even if you keep telling lies, quit now and save what little more you have left to pay your reported way over due bills.
Posted by: Sharon K | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:43 PM
$10 million to charity?
How nice of them to donate most of it to their OWN charity.
Wouldn't it be great if we all had our own foundation that we could just 'donate to'?
Water is rushing into the Clinton campaign and it will capsize in just a few weeks.
Posted by: Brett | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:49 PM
Oh PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...just keep the quarreling and sniping up for another 5 months because I am LOVING every delicious minute of it.
McCain 2008!
Posted by: KKC | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:52 PM
Here is why the charity is not publicized: The Clintons paid $33.8 million in federal taxes and claimed deductions for $10.2 million in charitable contributions. The contributions went to a family foundation run by the Clintons that has given away only about half of the money they put into it, and most of that was last year, after Mrs. Clinton declared her candidacy.
Posted by: Shaan | Apr 6, 2008 6:55:56 PM
Hillary is CEO of her Campaign it speaks volumes to her incompetence as the Chief Executive.
As you read this HRC is cancelling checks to Mark Penn since he is 'dead to her.'
Posted by: Your Conscience | Apr 6, 2008 6:56:07 PM
Mark Penn needs to be GONE PERIOD. It looks like he will STILL be part of the Hillary campaign but will have another "title".
He NEEDS to go.
Posted by: Maritza | Apr 6, 2008 6:56:07 PM
The Clinton's "charity" is just a tax dodge. You will note that the "Clinton Foundation" did not spend a dime until after she announced her candidacy. And what exactly does "the Clinton Foundation" do? What kind of "charity" does it support?
Posted by: Mick Smith | Apr 6, 2008 6:56:11 PM
Too little to late. The damage has been done.
Posted by: Bob, DC | Apr 6, 2008 6:56:18 PM
This was just an excuse not to have to publicly fire him. This was a long time coming. It's quite something to have to announce it openly.
Posted by: Whitneymuse | Apr 6, 2008 6:56:49 PM
The so called "Charity" they gave 95% of their money to was the "Clinton Foundation". Moving the cash from the right pocket to the left pocket is a tax dodge, not charity.
Posted by: Charity | Apr 6, 2008 6:56:55 PM
The money the Clintons gave to charity was their own charity: Bill Clinton's Foundation. And where is their 2007 return? oh yeah, she thinks she's going to be the nominanee so they filed an extension, and will probably file another one before August, so no one will get to see it until AFTER the election. A little sneaky if you ask me.
Posted by: Elaine | Apr 6, 2008 6:57:00 PM
For someone who was leading in all polls just a year ago, the inevitable candidate and her campaign sure have imploded. Penn was a mess, and sleazy. That Mrs. Clinton chose him to run her campaign is another example of her terrible judgment.
Posted by: southamco | Apr 6, 2008 6:57:12 PM
Giving to one's charities is fine, EXCEPT, that they where all sponsered Charities of the CLINTONS!!!!!!!!!!!
Check it out!
Posted by: Chuck | Apr 6, 2008 6:57:22 PM
Your Conscience-Happy day. Jumping ship? Texas said no Obama. Ohio said no Obama. RI said no Obama. Wonder what PA will say next? Looks like BO peaked too soon. Pass the deodorant BO is finished.
Posted by: Dogsoldier | Apr 6, 2008 6:57:41 PM
It really was as poorly run a campaign as I've ever seen. This is really just the last stages before the end becomes official. This nomination was effectively decided after Texas/Ohio anyway as Clinton has no realistic shot at catching Obama in pledged delegates.
Posted by: Texas Voter | Apr 6, 2008 6:58:06 PM
Penn is just an employee. He is just in charge of the the overall strategy of HRC's campaign. He gets paid millions for his work. Just because he is quitting/getting fired in the home stretch of a campaign doesn't mean anything. Employees come and go.
No problemo.
Posted by: Harry Tuttle | Apr 6, 2008 6:58:20 PM
Mark Penn the lobbyist is stepping down?
How do you get below a gutter?
Posted by: Your Conscience | Apr 6, 2008 6:58:43 PM
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