Wikileaks: Clinton campaign planned ‘spontaneous visit’ to Planned Parenthood

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/10/27/wikileaks-clinton-campaign-planned-spontaneous-visit-to-planned-parenthood/

(CNSNews.com) – A Wikileaks email thread released Wednesday showed Hillary Clinton’s campaign strategizing with Planned Parenthood to coordinate a “spontaneous visit” to a clinic days before Cecile Richards’ congressional testimony and nixing a more public event because Richards “will be highlighting how their health work is not related to their political activity” in her testimony regarding undercover footage from the Center for Medical Progress, which alleged that the abortion provider was profiting from the sale of unborn baby organs.

A September 24th email revealed Planned Parenthood backing away from an event just prior to Richards’ September 29th testimony before Congress due to concerns over an appearance of “political activity.”

“After consulting with their lawyers and discussing further internally they are now NOT comfortable moving forward with the event on Monday,” a Clinton staffer explained. “Cecile is testifying before Congress on Tuesday and will be highlighting how their health work is not related to their political activity. She is even highlighting an affiliate in CA (though not the one HRC would visit).”

“They are still very enthusiastic about the concept but do not feel like this is the right time for this event,” the staffer emphasized.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook then asked, “Is there some ‘spontaneous’ visit she could do for the backdrop? A community health clinic or something?”

Clinton’s communications director Jennifer Palmieri also suggested “a Telemundo or other Hispanic outlet interview on health care.”

“Yes. That’s better,” Clinton aide Huma Abedin replied to Palmieri.

The email thread opened with Cecile Richards providing Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta a Planned Parenthood Action Fund contact.

In a different set of emails released earlier this month by Wikileaks, Podesta’s chief of staff Sara Latham sent him an email reminder to “call Cecile Richards” and talked up the idea of Clinton visiting a Planned Parenthood clinic the day before Richards’ testimony, writing, “HRC would be the first 2016 candidate and maybe the first presidential candidate ever (?) to visit a PP health center. Plus, if it happens on Monday, the very next day is their digital day of action so we could roll right into that and get a nice bump on digital as well.”

–Written by Lauretta Brown