New York Times, Washington Post, HuffPo, Politico, WSJ, AP, Bloomberg Reuters and McClatchy reporters gather at Washington DC home of John “Skippy” Podesta to begin construction of media narrative for Clinton 2016 Presidential bid. That media bias question? Nah, nothing to see here, move along, move along….

NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton’s campaign team held an off-the-record dinner Thursday night in Washington, D.C., for roughly two dozen journalists and staff members at John Podesta’s house, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The dinner signals that the Clinton team is trying to engage with top reporters in the days before the Democrat’s expected announcement of a 2016 presidential run. It also suggests the new campaign team is looking to change course from the toxic relationship with the press that plagued the 2008 race.

Podesta, the campaign chairman and a seasoned cook, made a pasta with walnut sauce for the dinner guests, which included reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, McClatchy, Reuters and several major TV networks. (more…)

….Yeah, good luck with that. How do you rebrand a person who is known so well as a self-centered, do anything, say anything, secretive in the extreme, political wind-tester and notorious liar, who has been chauffeured for 3 decades -between her three houses- and has disconnected from anything remotely resembling average sensibilities?

The reluctance of Continetti to give the label of “establishment” candidate to Jeb Bush is a strategy. A strategy not of Continetti’s construction, but more of Jeb’s team.

This is one of the central nuances we find annoyingly not outlined. Jeb is the “establishment” BIG GOP pick – however, Team Jeb also recognize that such an openly discussed self-evident truth is also a barrier to their victory plan.

Team Jeb’s path is brutally obvious to those willing to accept it. It is not far away from the Romney path, and therefore considered a successful strategy in the GOP primary. (more…)

Overnight thread – Long video but worth watching if you have time.

Judicial Watch hosted a panel at its headquarters discussing Hillary Clinton’s email scandal with Joseph E. diGenova (Founding Partner, diGenova & Toensing, LLP), Daniel J. Metcalfe (Adjunct Professor of Law, American University), and Paul Orfanedes (Director of Litigation, Judicial Watch). Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch’s president, moderator.

As you read the following media report it is important to remember: ♦ Hillary Clinton has previously stated, unequivocally, that no classified communication traveled through her self-created personal communication network. 

So what exactly is there to review?  Either the U.S. government believes the statements by the Secretary of State to be true, or they do not.

Second, ♦ the government knowingly allowed the secret communication network to exist and allowed all the construction issues therein to take place.  Therefore the burden of any administrative compliance issue should reside upon them to reconcile expeditiously.

(The Washington Times) The Obama administration told a federal court Monday that it needs “several months” more to go through former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s government emails, saying it’s proving time-consuming to sort out exactly what information they can release to the public,

Justice Department lawyers also bristled at accusations that the government perpetrated a fraud by hiding the existence of the emails, as Mr. Obama’s team begins to fully grapple with the legal complications Mrs. Clinton has left them. (more…)

As we have outlined (with considerable criticism) over the past year, the only substantive inquiry into the Benghazi scandal will have to be held in non-public settings. When you dig into the substance, and avoid the political aspects, everything that matters regarding the Benghazi fiasco is covered under U.S. national security protections.

There is little of value available to discuss in public hearings. If you understand the Benghazi Brief you understand why.

The CIA and the State Department were conducting a joint covert operation labeled “Zero Footprint” in Libya. That operation was expanded into Syria after Panetta left the CIA. The congressional intelligence oversight known as the Gang of Eight were fully briefed.

Hence, if House Select Committee Chair Trey Gowdy wants to discuss email use, or communication methods therein, during the tenure of Clinton and Panetta, around Operation Zero Footprint, Gowdy has to make those inquiries in private.

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House select committee investigating the Benghazi attacks asked Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday to appear for a private interview about her exclusive use of a personal email account when she was secretary of state.

“The committee believes a transcribed interview would best protect Secretary Clinton’s privacy, the security of the information queried, and the public’s interest in ensuring this committee has all information needed to accomplish the task set before it,” the chairman, Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, said in a letter sent Tuesday morning. (more…)

Hillary Clinton said the construct of her secret communication network was specifically because she only wanted to carry one device – obviously she lied right out of the gate.

The Associated Press has gained a total of FOUR emails from a FOIA request regarding correspondence between Hillary Clinton and her personal aide Huma Abedin search term “drone strikes”.

The emails show the Clinton led U.S. State Department focused an inordinate amount of time and energy discussing articles written by the media. It would appear at least a substantive portion of time in/around the State Dept was spent reviewing what reporters were writing about U.S. foreign policy outcomes.

One of the emails (Sept 18th 2011 – last in the pdf below) shows Hillary answering a question about floral arrangements amid a chain email discussing Pakistan’s efforts to battle the Taliban. Ms. Abedin responds curiously. (more…)

Hillary Clinton lawyers now claiming after they decided what was “business” and what was “personal” email, they destroyed everything. Gee, who didn’t see that coming….

WASHINGTON DC – Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton failed to provide any new documents to the congressional panel investigating the Benghazi terrorist attacks, instead notifying the committee that she has “wipe[d] her server clean,” the lead investigator announced.

“After seeking and receiving a two week extension from the Committee, Secretary Clinton failed to provide a single new document to the subpoena issued by the Committee and refused to provide her private server to the Inspector General for the State Department or any other independent arbiter for analysis,” Representative Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.), the chairman of the select committee investigating the attacks, announced Friday evening. (more…)

RELATED CONSEQUENCE

She Will NOT Be Denied !

New York Times political reporter Amy Chozick has shared (via twitter) the content of an email she received from Team Hillary Clinton.

Apparently the group is planning to attack reporters with accusations of sexism if the media use words like “polarizing, calculating, disingenuous, insincere, ambitious, inevitable, entitled, over confident” to describe Hillary Clinton.

Yes, all of the aforementioned words have been used in the first 24 hours to describe Ted Cruz, but in typical fem-Nazi fashion that doesn’t matter.

https://twitter.com/amychozick/status/580822762647875584

https://twitter.com/amychozick/status/580822978331561985

(more…)