Two former press secretaries for President George W. Bush were flabbergasted at a particular Hillary Clinton email that showed one of her staffers essentially blackmailing a reporter.
The exchange happened during Clinton’s time as secretary of state.
An email, obtained by Gawker through a Freedom of Information Act request, showed the former politics editor of “The Atlantic” Marc Ambinder making a request of Clinton’s former adviser Philippe Reines to see an advanced copy of a speech Clinton was set to give to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Reines as long as Ambinder agreed to three conditions which were as follows.
1) You in your own voice describe [the speech] as “muscular”
2) You note that a look at the CFR seating plan shows that all the envoys — from [Richard] Holbrooke to [George] Mitchell to [Dennis] Ross — will be arrayed in front of her, which in your own clever way you can say certainly not a coincidence and meant to convey something
3) You don’t say you were blackmailed!
A minute after receiving that email Ambinder replied “got it” and then wrote the piece precisely as he was told, Gawker reported.
Former Bush press secretaries Perino and Fleischer were awestruck at the request, the fact that Ambinder complied and that he didn’t expose the blackmail as, they said, he would have done had they made a similar request.
The press should be in an uproar over this. It’s awful on both ends. https://t.co/ddHZDP6QEP
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) February 12, 2016
Ari – couldn’t agree more. https://t.co/9gGKUQ8P5P
— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) February 12, 2016
@DanaPerino Can u imagine the feeding frenzy that would have broken out of you or I sent an email like that? The press would have gone nuts.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) February 12, 2016
I can’t imagine ever asking for such a thing. And for SURE the press would have laughed at and exposed me. Right?! https://t.co/T6t6OU3aqB
— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) February 12, 2016
@DanaPerino The reporter at the WH who got an email like that from u or me would have instantly gone public. Armbinder should have done same
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) February 12, 2016
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