Sunday, April 06, 2008

Clinton Campaign Loses Another Top Aide - Was A Paid Lobbyist For Columbian Government

Another Hillary Clinton advisor has left her campaign. According to a Reuters report, the top aide to Sen. Clinton, under fire for meeting with a Colombian diplomat to discuss a free trade deal that the presidential candidate opposes, quit his post on Sunday, the campaign said.
"After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign," Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement.

News of the meeting surfaced Friday. Penn said he held the meeting with the Columbians in his separate role as chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, a lobbying firm hired by the South American country to help win the approval by the U.S. Congress of a free trade agreement with the United States.

Many have questioned Hillary’s ability to oppose the unpopular trade agreement when one of her top aides was a paid lobbyist for the country. Again it raises the issue of Clinton’s ties and support from lobbying firms and big business.

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