Hillary Clinton had some help dodging the press at an event Thursday at Texas Southern University.
The Democratic presidential candidate visited the school to speak on voting rights and accept a lifetime achievement award for her contributions as a female to public life in the United States.
According to a university press release circulated Wednesday, portions of which Bloomberg’s Jennifer Epstein posted to Twitter, TSU insisted that journalists covering the event would have “NO opportunities” to pose questions to Clinton.
From confirmation note from Texas Southern Univ, which is hosting Hillary Clinton’s voting rights speech tomorrow pic.twitter.com/87PPv11jHu
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 3, 2015
“There will be NO opportunities to interview Hillary Clinton; her speech will be her interview,” the release advised reporters.
It also noted that press would be “barricaded” in a section of the arena and would be forced to use “media-only restrooms.”
According to Epstein, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill insisted that the language of the press release was not approved or dictated by the Clinton campaign.
Was language approved by campaign? “No, of course it wasn’t,” @nickmerrill says
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 3, 2015
In an apparent acknowledgement of its faux pas, the college later altered the language of the press release, removing the harsh statement about Clinton’s “interview.”
Update from TSU has pared down bathroom and wifi details and no “her speech will be her interview” pic.twitter.com/dczB08dQXJ
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 3, 2015
During her speech Thursday, Hillary predictably criticized Republican lawmakers and 2016 contenders like Rick Perry and Scott Walker for what she labeled a “crusade against voting rights.”
H/T Campus Reform
