CNN accepts Donna Brazile’s resignation after interactions with Clinton campaign prior to debate
CNN distanced itself from interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile after supposedly hacked emails said she gave Hillary Clinton’s campaign advance word about a question for a March 6 primary debate with Bernie Sanders.
Brazile was a commentator for CNN and a vice chair at the DNC at the time of the debate. She was suspended in July when she took over the DNC chair duties.
CNN disclosed for the first time on Monday that it had accepted Brazile’s resignation from the network on Oct. 14.
“CNN never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate,” the network said in a statement. “We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor.”
The statement came after the latest WikiLeaks drop of what it says are hacked emails from the account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The batch included a message purportedly from Brazile that contained a question used in the CNN Democratic primary debate staged in Flint, Mich., that dealt with the city’s water crisis.
“One of the questions directed to HRC tomorrow is from a woman with a rash,” Brazile purportedly wrote in a March 5 email. “Her family has lead poison and she will ask what, if anything, will Hillary do as president to help the ppl of Flint.”
The question was presented to Clinton and Sanders during the CNN event.
On Monday Brazile acknowledged the end of her relationship with CNN in a message on her Twitter account that said, “Thank you CNN. Honored to be a Democratic Strategist and commentator on the network. Godspeed to all my former colleagues.”
Brazile’s official resignation apparently occurred three days after an earlier supposedly hacked email disseminated by WikiLeaks. In that March 12 message, regarding an upcoming town hall that aired on CNN and cable channel TV One, Brazile purportedly told Clinton’s communications director Jennifer Palmieri that “From time to time, I get the questions in advance.”
According to another email on WikiLeaks, Brazile purportedly tipped off Palmieri that Clinton would get a query regarding her position on the death penalty. The question was posed to the candidate on the March 13 program.
The Clinton campaign is refusing to confirm the authenticity of anything WikiLeaks has posted.
Brazile is a veteran strategist who has worked on a number of national campaigns. She was the campaign manager for Al Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000.
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