WikiLeaks’ release of emails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta reveals campaign director of communications Jennifer Palmieri speaking with vice chairwoman Huma Abedin and other campaign staffers about Planned Parenthood’s decision not to follow through with a visit by Clinton to one of its clinics the day before CEO Cecile Richards was to testify before Congress about allegations of selling the body parts of aborted babies.
Clinton campaign director of scheduling Alex Hornbrook wrote to Palmieri and others, including Abedin, on September 24, 2015 that he had spoken to Amy Taylor, national political director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), about arranging for a Clinton visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic. Taylor apparently expressed concern that, in her testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Richards was to stress that Planned Parenthood’s “healthcare” business was not related to its political lobbying.
Hornbrook wrote:
Amy Taylor just called me back. After consulting with their lawyers and discussing further internally they are now NOT comfortable moving forward with the event on Monday. Cecile is testifying before Congress on Tuesday and will be highlighting how their health work is not related to their political activity. She is even highlighting an affiliate in CA (though not the one HRC would visit). They are still very enthusiastic about the concept but do not feel like this is the right time for this event. Looks like we are back to the drawing board for Monday morning. Given the short time line I think we will need to stick with something in the small meeting/ OTR family of events. Is there value in reconsidering a tech related meeting or are there ideas in the healthcare space that would be feasible to pull off in this timeframe?
Breitbart News previously reported the email in which a plan for a Clinton visit to Planned Parenthood was discussed. Podesta’s chief of staff Sara Latham observed such an event would be mutually beneficial to Clinton and the abortion business.
“HRC would be the first 2016 candidate and maybe the first presidential candidate ever (?) to visit a PP health center,” wrote Latham. “Plus, if it happens on Monday, the very next day is their digital day of action so we could roll right into that and get a nice bump on digital as well.”
In the updated email, Abedin asked, “They say yes?” and Latham responded:
yep – that’s what I pulled Alex from your office about
>>>
John spoke to Cecile, she was thrilled with the idea, he didn’t promise we’d do, said we were thinking about it, had time on Monday probably only an hour / described the roundtable etc and asked for contact so our advance team etc could figure it out
“Excellent,” Abedin replied.
Hornbrook then wrote, “Just spoke with Amy. She is just consulting their lawyers to make sure we know all the rules but is on board with the kind of event we are envisioning.”
But, Taylor then apparently said the optics of a visit with Clinton at a Planned Parenthood center the day before Richards was claiming to the Oversight Committee that her organization’s “health” activities are separate from its political lobbying would be problematic.