A spokesman for Hillary Clinton said in 2015 that his candidate “suffers in performance” when she is interviewed by someone with a “lesser intellect,” according to new emails revealing the exchange with a cable TV host.
Spokesman Nick Merrill made the statement to reassure Greta Van Susteren, who was then with Fox News, that Clinton’s team respected her despite Clinton’s refusal to appear on her program, and after a leaked email from Clinton aide Philippe Reines referred to Susteren as “malleable.”
“First, let me start by saying that in my many years working for HRC, I have rarely heard her or staff more consistently convey respect for a journalist than for you,” Merrill wrote in the July 2, 2015 email to Van Susteren. “While at State … you joined us on the road and during our extensive conversations leading up to the book tour.”
“Your interviews with HRC haven’t been because you’re easy on her, in fact I’d argue she suffers in performance when she’s up against a lesser intellect,” Merrill explained. “You challenge her, and do so on substance, you’re tough, lawyerly, and fair. And that’s why you are someone she likes personally and respects professionally.”
Merrill was responding to a terse message from Van Susteren sent immediately after the publication of the email by Reines. Van Susteren requested that Clinton appear on her program, in part to “get this cleared up for my reputation.”
However, Merrill said the campaign needed to decline the request. “I think we all understand that this transpiring was not helpful to you in the least, and I’m very sorry about that. I think I could make a reasonable argument for why putting HRC out with you right now would not be to anyone’s benefit, but the truth is that we are simply not there yet.”
“It doesn’t mean we aren’t thinking things through more broadly, but the focus of the campaign as it ramped up and in the short period since the launch has been to engage voters in the early states, first and foremost, and raise money. We’ve started to do some local interviews here and there, but that’s been it,” he added.
“I’ve included Jennifer here to make sure you know that everyone is fully aware of what happened and your reaching out to us about it. Happy to talk about this more at your convenience, and I hope we can continue to maintain your working relationship with us, and with HRC,” Merrill added.
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Jennifer Palmieri is the communications director for Clinton’s campaign.
Van Susteren’s husband, John Coale, is a longtime friend of the Clintons who has engaged in fundraising both for them and some of their opponents. Van Susteren never managed to book Clinton on her program before she departed from Fox News last month.
Marshall has not confirmed the legitimacy of information included in the leak of her emails, which were published by DCLeaks this week. The site has published information from a slew of high-profile figures this year, including the billionaire George Soros and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
