Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, discussed fomenting “revolution” in the Catholic Church with a progressive activist in an email released by WikiLeaks.
“There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic Church,” Sandy Newman, president and founder of the nonprofit Voices for Progress, wrote Podesta in February 2012.
The email, among the third batch released by WikiLeaks, was titled “opening for a Catholic Spring? just musing.”
Podesta tells Newman of progressive organizations he and his colleagues created to recruit members of the church who can lead a revolution when the time is right.
“We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this,” the Clinton campaign chairman writes. “But I think it lacks the leadership to do so now. Likewise Catholics United. Like most Spring movements, I think this one will have to be bottom up.”
The Clinton campaign has accused WikiLeaks of collaborating with the Russian government, criticizing the Trump campaign for “cheering on” a release of emails “engineered by Vladimir Putin to interfere in this election.”
Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement that the “timing shows you that even Putin knows Trump had a bad weekend and a bad debate.”
“The only remaining question is why Donald Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians.”
The Russian Embassy in Washington has denied the charge, accusing U.S. officials of “whipping up” anti-Russia hysteria.
Podesta has acknowledged the emails WikiLeaks began releasing Friday are from his accounts. He said the messages may have been edited for political motivations, but he has not pointed out any examples.
WND reported Tuesday emails showing reporters, editors and contributors not just advocating for Hillary Clinton but apparently colluding with the campaign.
Univision Chairman Haim Saban, for example, urged the Clinton campaign to hit Donald Trump harder over immigration, and the Boston Globe tried to time a Clinton opinion piece to do the most good in New Hampshire.
Among the other revelations in the Podesta emails:
- Clinton, who has accused Trump of praising Putin, called the Russian leader in a 2014 speech “engaging” and “a very interesting conversationalist.” Excerpts from Clinton’s speeches were contained in a document emailed to Podesta to point out quotes that could harm the campaign.
- Donald Trump on Tuesday referenced a May 2015 email in which Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon alerted staffers that the Justice Department was proposing to publish Clinton’s work-related emails, contending it showed collusion between the Obama administration and Clinton’s campaign. Fallon wrote that “DOJ folks” told him a court hearing in the case had been planned.
- In a July 2015 email, New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich appeared to ask permission from Hillary Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, to use certain quotes of the presidential candidate in an article. Palmieri replied, suggesting he remove a reference Clinton made to Sarah Palin and delete Clinton’s statement, “And gay rights has moved much faster than women’s rights or civil rights, which is an interesting phenomenon.”
- CNBC correspondent John Harwood, who was widely criticized for posing biased questions to Donald Trump as a primary debate moderator, effectively served as an adviser to the Clinton campaign, emailing Podesta with the subject line “Watch out.” The warning was regarding GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson, who “could give you real trouble in a general (election).”
- Maggie Haberman, a former Politico reporter who now works for the New York Times, was described in a January 2015 memo as having “a very good relationship” with the Clinton campaign.“We have had her tee up stories for us before and have never been disappointed,” the memo said.
- Some “flags” in Hillary Clinton’s paid speeches were noted in a Jan. 25 email from campaign research director Tony Carrk to top Clinton advisers, including Clinton’s declaration of her “dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders.” In a speech at Goldman-Black Rock on Feb. 4, 2014, Carrk pointed out, Clinton admitted she’s “Kind Of Far Removed” from middle-class struggles due to “The Economic, You Know, Fortunes That My Husband And I Now Enjoy.” Clinton, in other speeches, boasted of her ties to Wall Street, an issue primary opponent Bernie Sanders continually raised. Clinton still has refused to release transcripts of her paid speeches.
- An email from Hillary Clinton’s account to Podesta on Aug. 17, 2014, said Saudi Arabia and Qatar were “providing clandestine financial and logistic support to [ISIS] and other radical Sunni groups in the region.” Critics have pointed out that the Clinton Foundation has received considerable funding from the two Middle East nations.
