An email released by Wikileaks reveals annoyance from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign directors with one of their media allies: left-wing CNBC Democrat John Harwood. Harwood was said to be “hounding” the campaign’s communications team for an interview on Speakeasy – a web-based interview show last updated on October 18 – or on CNBC. Neither platform was viewed by the Clinton campaign as holding a sufficiently-sized audience to be worthwhile.
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 05: John Harwood (R) of the Wall Street Journal speaks as Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times listens during a taping of ‘Meet the Press’ at the NBC studios February 5, 2006 in Washington, DC. Both Harwood and Brownstein participated in a roundtable discussion at the show. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)
Below is an outline of January 15 email chain.
Harwood then attempted to go over Schake’s head in securing an interview with Clinton on Speakeasy or CNBC. Harwood complained to the Clinton campaign’s chairman John Podesta, describing Schake’s denial of his request as “incredibly disappointing.”
Podesta reached out to Schake for background on Harwood’s platforms. Schake described Harwood’s platforms as lacking sufficiently sized audiences to be worthy of Clinton’s time. An interview on MSNBC, however, was said to be worthwhile. Schake also described Harwood as “hounding” her direct manager – the Clinton campaign’s communications director Jennifer Palmieri – for an interview.
Read the email chain below (emphasis added).
From:[email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 2016-01-15 20:44
Subject: Re:[Jennifer Palmieri] asked me to handle because he was bothering her so much. We don’t want us to do Speakeasy (his web interview show) right now because the audience is too small. We offered John an interview with him on MSNBC since he also works for them, but he declined. He only wants Speakeasy, and then CNBC. Talked to Jen and we don’t have time for those right now because they aren’t our targets because the reach is too small. He is hounding me to
get an interview but I can’t make it work when we are trying to get bigger interviews on the schedule.On Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at 5:40 PM, John Podesta <[email protected]>
wrote:> Can you give me background on this
>
> ———- Forwarded message ———-
> From: *Harwood, John (NBCUniversal)* <[email protected]>
> Date: Friday, January 15, 2016
> Subject: Fwd:
> To: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>
>
>
> This is incredibly disappointing. If you can help make it work the following week I’d really appreciate it
>
> John Harwood
> CNBC/NYT
> 202 669 0751
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* Kristina Schake <[email protected]>
> *Date:* January 15, 2016 at 5:34:48 PM EST
> *To:* “Harwood, John (NBCUniversal)” <[email protected]>
>
> John, we cannot make Speakeasy work next week. If you can do an economically focused interview on MSNBC we can make that work, but can’t do Speakeasy or CNBC next week due to our intense schedule.
>
> —
>
>
>
> Kristina Schake | Communications
> Hillary for America
>
>
>
>—
Kristina Schake | Communications
Hillary for America
Various Wikileaks emails seem to suggest a somewhat friendly relationship between Harwood and Podesta.
On September 15, 2016, Harwood asked Podesta via email for questions to present to then Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush for an upcoming interview. A screenshot of this email is below.
Between November 22 and 24, Harwood emailed Podesta to offer his platforms as political infomercials to Clinton’s campaign to discuss the economy. A screenshot of this email is below.
In a rapid-fire email chain on May 29, Harwood defended himself against aggrieved Clinton campaign operatives for being insufficiently sycophantic in an article intended to be humorous about the secrecy of off-the-record meetings with selected reporters. Below is the entire captured email chain (emphasis added).
Re: CNBC: How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell you
From:[email protected]
To: [email protected]
CC: [email protected]
Date: 2015-05-29 20:43
Subject: Re: CNBC: How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell youI don’t take cheap shots at Hillary Clinton or anybody else.
But this wasn’t a shot of any kind. It was humor. I was poking fun at a campaign ritual.
I didn’t expect big news either. Did you notice I didn’t ask a single question in the briefing? I don’t really care where her announcement will take or whether Charlotte will be onstage or when she’ll take her vacation or how many rallies she’ll have.
I knew that the stuff I care about – most importantly what she plans to do on the economy – was not going to yield answers now. You’ve told me that and I believe you.
I just thought it was funny to go through the ground rules jazz and have all these reporters firing questions and scribbling notes with Fox live truck parked outside with few definitive answers about anything.
Did it matter? No. Have you heard me complaining on any media about how Hillary is campaigning or interacting with the press? No. Do I participate in the whole Politico-style meme/narrative bullshit conversation along these lines? No.
But when my bosses asked me to write what I learned, humor seemed more honest and appropriate than anything else.
The value of the event, to me, was seeing you guys.
J
John Harwood
CNBC/NYT
202 669 0751On May 29, 2015, at 5:54 PM, Jennifer Palmieri <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
No, he is not joking. He and I are both put off by your piece. The briefing was just meant to help give context to the press for how we are thinking about the race and how summer is likely to go. Never intended for it to be newsmaking event. We thought it would be helpful and you turned it into another hit piece on how our campaign interacts with the press. Seemed like a cheap shot. And odd coming from you.
Sent from my iPhone
On May 29, 2015, at 5:16 PM, Harwood, John (NBCUniversal) <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
He’s joking, right?
John Harwood
CNBC/NYT
202 669 0751Begin forwarded message:
From: John Podesta <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Date: May 29, 2015 at 4:53:26 PM EDT
To: “John Harwood, (NBCUniversal)” <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Fwd: CNBC: How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell youWon’t waste your time again.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: “John Podesta” <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Date: May 29, 2015 4:49 PM
Subject: Fwd: CNBC: How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell you
To: “John Podesta” <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Cc:FYI
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Brian Fallon <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Date: Fri, May 29, 2015 at 3:47 PM
Subject: Fwd: CNBC: How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell you
To: Jennifer Palmieri <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>, John Podesta <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>fyi
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Brad Pollock <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Date: Fri, May 29, 2015 at 12:00 PM
Subject: CNBC: How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell you
To: Clips <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>How’s Hillary doing? Wish we could tell you
CNBC.com<https://CNBC.com>
By John Harwood
29 Mins Ago
https://www.cnbc.com/id/102717374I’ve been inside Hillary Clinton’s national campaign headquarters in Brooklyn.
I’ve talked with “senior officials” about her bid for the White House. They sat in these chairs.
Wish I could tell you more. But they said very little.
Notice that I typed very little and not “very little,” because under the ground rules of Thursday’s briefing reporters were not allowed to quote their words directly.
You’re not missing much.
The former secretary of state plans to kick off the heavy-rhetoric stage of her campaign on June 13. I can’t say where or what time because the senior officials wouldn’t say.
She plans to lay out some policy proposals after that. Can’t say which ones.
She’ll take questions from reporters. Can’t say how often.
She’ll start having rallies. Not too many, because the election’s a long way away. But some.
She might take a summer vacation, which means reporters covering her can, too. Don’t know when, but one senior official observed that summer vacations traditionally occur in mid-August.
Her aides are organizing furiously in the early battlegrounds of the nomination fight (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina) because they are competing in every state. They take the primary challenges of Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and perhaps others very seriously.
They are also taking their Republican opposition very seriously—some in the sprawling GOP field more seriously than others. Can’t specify which ones.
They are raising lots and lots of money and are pleased with how much is pouring in. But they absolutely, positively are NOT seeking to raise $2 billion, which some journalists have reported is their goal.
They are building a large digital constituency for their efforts to communicate and mobilize voters on social media. Are they starting with the lists from President Barack Obama’s organization, and Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign? Can’t say for sure, but they’re exploring lots of lists.
Her husband, Bill, and daughter, Chelsea, will play roles in her campaign. Can’t say exactly what, or when.
She’s feeling more in control of her campaign effort this time around, unlike 2008 when she sometimes felt the campaign was controlling her.
Controversies over her emails as secretary of state or the Clinton Foundation have not inflicted significant political damage. That’s because voters who might support her see the controversies as politically motivated.
She might even be able to expand the roster of battleground states beyond those Obama targeted. Can’t say which ones.I’d show you pictures of the office and desks where campaign officials do their jobs, but the post-briefing tour was deemed off-the-record.
There will be more briefings, however. Stay tuned.
—
JP
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
For scheduling: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
On March 4, Harwood was rewarded with a five-minute interview with Clinton on Speakeasy. It has yielded 934 views as of the time of this article’s publishing. He has not had any other interviews with Clinton during the entirety of her campaign.
Harwood presents himself as an unbiased, non-partisan, objective journalist with political balance.
H/T Zero Hedge
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