Donna Brazile allegedly warned Hillary Clinton's campaign about a Democratic town hall question


Former CNN contributor and one-time Bill Clinton adviser Donna Brazile apparently tipped off the Clinton campaign about a potentially difficult question before the CNN Democratic presidential town hall debate last March, a WikiLeaks email seems to reveal.
The email, allegedly from Brazile to Clinton's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, has the subject line "From time to time I get the questions in advance." The body of the email said:
Here's one that worries me about HRC.DEATH PENALTY19 states and the District of Columbia have banned the death penalty. 31 states, including Ohio, still have the death penalty. According to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, since 1973, 156 people have been on death row and later set free. Since 1976, 1,414 people have been executed in the U.S. That's 11 percent of Americans who were sentenced to die, but later exonerated and freed. Should Ohio and the 30 other states join the current list and abolish the death penalty? [WikiLeaks]
Palmieri apparently answered, "Hi. Yes, it is one she gets asked about. Not everyone likes her answer but can share it." The question in the WikiLeaks email was slightly different than the one that was ultimately asked at the town hall.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When asked by BuzzFeed about the apparent exchange, a CNN spokesperson said, "To be perfectly clear we have never, ever given a town hall question to anyone beforehand." Brazile added, "I don't read WikiLeaks. I refuse to play the WikiLeaks game […] I did not tip off anyone."
The WikiLeaks emails purportedly come from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's account; the U.S. has blamed Russia for the DNC hacks. Jeva Lange
Update 3:06 p.m.: Brazile published the following statement about the WikiLeaks email:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The Week contest: Tornado wedding
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Real estate: A turning point for home prices?
Feature After soaring prices and bidding wars, homebuyers finally have the upper hand
-
Marfa, Texas: Big skies, fine art, and great eating
Feature A cozy neighborhood spot, a James Beard semifinalists, and more
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein