A Hillary Clinton adviser wouldn’t say Sunday whether her boss supports the trade deal still being negotiated in Congress after a big setback on Friday.
“I’m going to let my candidate speak about that,” Karen Finney told Fox News’ Chris Wallace in an interview the day after Clinton officially launched her presidential candidacy.
Clinton has so far refrained from saying whether she supports the deal, which would give President Obama so-called “Fast Track” authority to negotiate trade deals that can’t be amended or filibustered by Congress. Her husband, Bill Clinton, had such authority while he was president.
Pressed by Wallace to say where Clinton stands, Finney said she was giving the “broader perspective.”
“Again, this is someone who has voted for trade agreements when she thought they were good for the country and against trade agreements when she thought they would be bad for the country,” Finney said.
In an unusual example of cooperation, Obama and House GOP leaders are trying to push through the deal, which is heavily opposed by labor unions. The House rejected it on Friday — with a surprise “no” vote by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi — but lawmakers plan to try again this week.
Clinton has been criticized for refusing to take sides on the issue — most recently by her Democratic opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who pressured her on Friday to weigh in.
“I frankly don’t understand how you could be a major candidate for president of the United States — Hillary Clinton, or anybody else — and not have an opinion on that issue,” Sanders told the “Charlie Rose” show on Thursday.
