Members of Hillary Clinton’s inner circle agreed to leverage support for Israel with donors but to remain silent on the subject around Democratic activists, according to hacked emails published by WikiLeaks.
In May 2015, the team disagreed on whether to mention Israel at “public events” after foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan suggested adding “a sentence on standing up for our allies and our values, including Israel” to Clinton’s “home base” talking points.
“Why would we call out Israel in public events now?” wrote chief strategist Joel Benenson. “The only voters elevating FP at all are Republican primary voters.”
Campaign manager Robby Mook agreed and advised silence on Israel around “dem activists.”
“I’m w Joel. We shouldn’t have Israel at public events,” Mook wrote. “Especially dem activists.”
Earlier in the conversation, senior communicators adviser Mandy Grunwald also appeared confused at Sullivan’s suggestion, since the talking points were “largely for … public events not fundraisers.”
Sullivan retreated from his suggestion after mounting questions from the group.
“I won’t fall on sword over Israel,” he wrote. “But we need more than climate in that paragraph.”
The team compromised on mentioning “confident American leadership,” “standing up for our allies and our values,” and confronting climate change in Clinton’s final talking point.
The former secretary of state could “drop in Israel” when amongst donors, they agreed.
