Correct The Record Tuesday July 8, 2014 Afternoon Roundup

podesta-emails 7,619 words email

D6 P17 P22 V11 V9

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*[image: Inline image 1]* *Correct The Record Tuesday July 8, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:* *Tweets:* *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: Enough with the politicization of an American tragedy. GOP wants to spend $3M more on new Benghazi committee. http://correctrecord.org/new-benghazi-house-select-committee-will-cost-taxpayers-3- … <http://t.co/db5szIv8qz> [7/8/14, 12:05 p.m. EDT <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/486541481465769985>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: UNLV has sold “more than $350,000 in table sponsorships thus far,” crediting @HillaryClinton for early sales surge: http://correctrecord.org/attack-america-rising-shamefully-attacks-clintons-charitable-work/ … <http://t.co/uASCyKbeio> [7/7/14, 4:20 p.m. EDT <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/486243319933333506>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton & @Madeleine launched Vital Voices Democracy Initiative 2 support women’s global advancement #HRC365 http://bit.ly/ObKcrM [7/7/14, 5:45 p.m. EDT <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/486264762490052608>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@pbump claims Gates' "Duty" handily outsold #HardChoices. The Facts: First 3 weeks of sales for both books pic.twitter.com/gEaioxqIha <http://t.co/gEaioxqIha> [7/7/14, 2:56 p.m. EDT <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/486222235532029953>] *Headlines:* *CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: THE BRODY FILE (PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT): JULY 3, 2014 <http://www.cbn.com/tv/3657512512001>* David Brody: "I think her biggest challenge is to let the inner-Hillary come out. Now conservatives might think the inner-Hillary is some mean-crazed machine, but actually she’s really endearing in private. We’ve met her a few times. She’s got a great sense of humor, loads of personality, so she’s going to need to figure out a way for that to shine through more and not get so caught up in the trappings of her political past." *Washington Post blog: Post Politics: “Hillary Clinton tops Christie, Paul, Bush in new poll” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/08/hillary-clinton-tops-christie-paul-bush-in-new-poll/>* “Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton is in the driver's seat for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, a new poll released Tuesday shows, and she tops a slate of potential Republican White House hopefuls.” *Politico: “Cleveland to host 2016 GOP convention” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/2016-rnc-location-cleveland-108659.html>* “Cleveland will host the 2016 Republican National Convention after beating out Dallas for the final nod, putting the party’s nomination festivities in a key presidential battleground, chairman Reince Priebus said Tuesday.” *CBS News: “Hillary Clinton stands by her defense of 1975 rape suspect” <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-stands-by-her-defense-of-1975-rape-suspect/>* “Hillary Clinton asked to be removed from a 1975 rape case in which her client was accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, the onetime Arkansas lawyer said recently, addressing for the first time fresh retrospective reproach for her defense of a man she's suggested was guilty.” *Arkansas Times blog: Arkansas Blog: “Hillary: Did her duty in 1975 rape case defense” <http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2014/07/08/hillary-did-her-duty-in-1975-rape-case-defense>* “The vast right-wing conspiracy has succeeded in reopening mainstream media discussion of Hillary Clinton's role as a court-appointed lawyer in defense of a man accused of raping a 12-year-old in Fayetteville 39 years ago.” *Der Spiegel (German Magazine): “Interview with Hillary Clinton: ‘Surveillance on Merkel's Phone Was Absolutely Wrong’” <http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/hillary-clinton-interview-on-german-us-ties-and-presidential-plans-a-979812.html>* “In an interview, Hillary Clinton discusses the growing gap between the rich and poor that threatens democracy, Americans' discontent with politics, her regrets over NSA spying on Chancellor Merkel's mobile phone and her potential presidential candidacy. *Politico: “Hillary Clinton: Thomas Piketty right on labor” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/hillary-clinton-thomas-piketty-income-inequality-108661.html>* “Hillary Clinton says she hasn’t yet read Thomas Piketty’s bestselling book on income inequality, but that she’s familiar with the gist and agrees that ‘we have devalued labor.’” *Politico: “Hillary Clinton on dynasties: We had 2 Roosevelts” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/hillary-clinton-political-dynasty-der-spiegel-interview-108652.html?hp=l3>* “Hillary Clinton on Tuesday defended her family and the Bushes, saying that U.S. politics has a history of political families but that the country is not a ‘monarchy.’” *Huffington Post: “Ready For Hillary Starts Spreading Its Money Around To Key States” <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/08/ready-for-hillary-money_n_5567110.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed>* “Ready for Hillary, the organization setting the stage for Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016, has strategically distributed more than $175,000 to 33 state Democratic parties and national Democratic organizations.” *Washington Post blog: Post Politics: “Hillary Clinton ‘sorry’ that Merkel’s phone was tapped” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/08/hillary-clinton-sorry-that-merkels-phone-was-tapped/>* “Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview published Tuesday that it was wrong for U.S. intelligence officials to spy on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone and said she is ‘sorry’ that it happened.” *National Journal: “If Hillary Clinton Doesn't Run, Who Would Lead the Democratic Field for President?” <http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/if-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-run-who-would-lead-the-democratic-field-for-president-20140708>* [Subtitle:] “Other potential Democratic candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Cuomo are largely unknown among potential voters, according to a new poll.” *Washington Free Beacon: “MSNBC Slams Hillary Clinton Over Rape Tapes” <http://freebeacon.com/politics/msnbc-slams-hillary-clinton-over-rape-tapes/>* “An MSNBC panel slammed Hillary Clinton over the tapes uncovered by the Washington Free Beacon which record her laughing about freeing a child rapist, calling her behavior ‘jarring’ and ‘disturbing.’” *Articles:* *CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: THE BRODY FILE (PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT): JULY 3, 2014 <http://www.cbn.com/tv/3657512512001>* [Transcript] July 3, 2014 (Starting at 15:45) DAVID BRODY: You know there’s been a lot of talk lately about 2016. You heard from Marco Rubio earlier in the show. He’s a man expected to make a run at the Republican nominee for president. Well, how about a Brody File commentary on the woman who is expected to run to be the Democrats’ nominee? Hillary Clinton. That’s right. She’s been taking some flack from the media ever since her book tour rollout began. And now, time for a Brody File commentary. You know, remember the “we were dead broke when we left the White House” line? She uttered that to Diane Sawyer during the sit-down interview. Hey, yeah, sure it wasn’t said very artfully, and I’m sure she wishes she could have said it differently, but you know technically it was true. It just seems the media wants to turn everything into political Armageddon. I mean how about when Hillary Clinton was talking about gay marriage? There was a liberal NPR host, and she tried to trip her up by chastising her for being for the Defense of Marriage Act back in the 1990s. Yet, of course, now she is for same-sex marriage. The NPR host was trying to make Hillary Clinton look like a follower rather than a leader on the issue. But hey look, at the time, Pres. Clinton with support from Hillary Clinton did the smart thing by passing the Defense of Marriage Act. I mean, Congress wanted it, it was in a day when traditional marriage was still sacred. It really did make total sense. Politicians should really listen to the people – not the other way around. So sure, coming out for gay marriage back then would have been risky politically, but it would have also been tone-deaf and stupid, because the people weren’t clamoring for it. People need to cut her and him some slack. She is for gay marriage now. I mean isn’t that enough for gay rights activists? You know, it seems everyone is trying to trip Hillary up. But remember, she gives just as good as she gets. I think her biggest challenge is to let the inner-Hillary come out. Now conservatives might think the inner-Hillary is some mean-crazed machine, but actually she’s really endearing in private. We’ve met her a few times. She’s got a great sense of humor, loads of personality, so she’s going to need to figure out a way for that to shine through more and not get so caught up in the trappings of her political past. *Washington Post blog: Post Politics: “Hillary Clinton tops Christie, Paul, Bush in new poll” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/08/hillary-clinton-tops-christie-paul-bush-in-new-poll/>* By Sean Sullivan July 8, 2014, 9:16 a.m. EDT Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton is in the driver's seat for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, a new poll released Tuesday shows, and she tops a slate of potential Republican White House hopefuls. Clinton, who has not yet said whether she will run for president, is supported by 58 percent of Democrats in a hypothetical primary against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) (11 percent); Vice President Biden (9 percent); New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (4 percent); Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (1 percent); and former Montana governor Brian Schweitzer (1 percent). Quinnipiac University conducted the national survey. Unlike the prospective Democratic race, the prospective Republican field has no clear frontrunner. Four Republicans register double-digit support: Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) (11 percent); former Florida governor Jeb Bush (10 percent); New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (10 percent); and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (10 percent). Twenty percent of Republicans say they are undecided. Coming in behind the four leading contenders: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (8 percent); Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) (8 percent); Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) (8 percent); Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) (6 percent); Texas Gov. Rick Perry (3 percent); former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) (2 percent); Ohio Gov. John Kasich (2 percent); and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (1 percent). Clinton was tested in hypothetical general election match-ups against against Christie, Paul, Huckabee, Bush and Ryan. She bests all five by between seven and nine points. The poll was conducted from June 24-30. *Politico: “Cleveland to host 2016 GOP convention” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/2016-rnc-location-cleveland-108659.html>* By Katie Glueck and Maggie Haberman July 8, 2014, 11:57 a.m. EDT Cleveland will host the 2016 Republican National Convention after beating out Dallas for the final nod, putting the party’s nomination festivities in a key presidential battleground, chairman Reince Priebus said Tuesday. Priebus made the announcement on Fox News and an official statement followed. In choosing Cleveland, party organizers opted for a Democratic enclave in the pivotal battleground state of Ohio over the wealthier and more conservative Dallas area for their convention, which officials have indicated could take place in late June or mid-July of 2016. Republican officials wanted an earlier convention in 2016, to allow the nominee to pivot more quickly to the general election. Cleveland offered up a late June date, while Dallas was considering mid-July, reports said, though an RNC spokeswoman said Tuesday that the exact timing was still part of the negotiation process. “The RNC set a new standard for conventions during this process,” Priebus said in a statement. “Not only will the convention be held earlier in 2016, but there are also substantial guarantees in place for funding that put us well ahead of previous conventions and will give our nominee the best opportunity to succeed.” GOP officials have said that logistics—including fundraising capabilities and hotel space—played a central role throughout the elimination process of a contest that previously also included Kansas City and Denver, among other cities. Some Republican donors privately said Texas, where the Republican party recently made strong stands in its platform against gay rights, would send the wrong message at a time when the GOP needs to expand its base. A critical component of the RNC’s “autopsy” after the 2012 election was the need to appeal to an increasingly diverse electorate. Holding the convention in a heavily African-American city provides a backdrop that helps the party avoid the appearance of homogeneity. But there are downsides to holding the event in Ohio instead of Texas. There are fewer mega-donors in the Midwestern state, meaning the RNC needs money commitments ahead of time. The event, which could draw up to 50,000 people, is expected to be prohibitively expensive. Cleveland, home to a new convention center, reportedly has $30 million on hand to $50 million in commitments that Dallas had secured. Ohioans involved in the effort, however, have said fundraising won’t be a problem. The announcement is a coup for Cleveland as it seeks to remake itself from a crime-ridden, economically struggling Rust Belt city long dubbed the“Mistake on the Lake” to a thriving metropolis with a revitalized downtown. The 2016 conventions won’t receive federal matching of funds as they had in the past. At the same time, such events are often economic boons for the host cities. “It’s a unique opportunity to showcase the new Cleveland as one of America’s great cities, and to bring dollars and jobs to Ohio,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a close ally of 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney. The decision to go with Ohio was anticipated by many Republican operatives and donors. Ohio is a crucial battleground that Republicans haven’t won in the last two elections. Obama’s turnout operation was critical to his win there in 2012, and Republicans are aware they need it back in their column if they’re going to succeed in the future. Both Cleveland and Dallas turned to athletes, celebrities, fine dining—and in the case of Dallas, elephants that greeted officials —to make their cases to site selection decision-makers. Cleveland had also been in the running to host the Democratic convention, though signing a contract to host the RNC would disqualify it from the DNC’s convention cities list. The 2012 convention was held in Tampa, Florida, a choice that was roundly denounced after the fact, given that the city was in the path of a hurricane just as the convention was set to kick off. Organizers were forced to call off the first night of events, which led to a truncated and muted affair. *CBS News: “Hillary Clinton stands by her defense of 1975 rape suspect” <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-stands-by-her-defense-of-1975-rape-suspect/>* By Lindsey Boerma July 8, 2014, 11:03 a.m. EDT Hillary Clinton asked to be removed from a 1975 rape case in which her client was accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, the onetime Arkansas lawyer said recently, addressing for the first time fresh retrospective reproach for her defense of a man she's suggested was guilty. "When I was a 27-year-old attorney doing legal aid work at the [University of Arkansas] where I taught in Fayetteville, Arkansas, I was appointed by the local judge to represent a criminal defendant accused of rape," she said when broached with the topic in an interview with British online network Mumsnet. "I asked to be relieved of that responsibility, but I was not. And I had a professional duty to represent my client to the best of my ability, which I did." The Washington Free Beacon recently obtained audio from a 1980s interview with Clinton in which she concedes some admittedly disquieting information about how she was able to seize on loopholes to minimize the sentence of the suspect, 41-year-old Thomas Alfred Taylor. Though he faced 30 years to life in prison, Clinton negotiated a plea deal that sentenced him to just one year in county jail and four years of probation. In a sworn affidavit aiming to coerce a psychiatric evaluation of the sixth-grade victim, Clinton during the case nearly 40 years ago called into question the girl's emotional stability, arguing she had exhibited "a tendency to seek out older men and engage in... fantasizing." She added, citing a child psychology expert that "children in early adolescence tend to exaggerate or romanticize sexual experiences and that adolescents with disorganized families, such as the complainant, are even more prone to such behavior." But in the recording, Clinton indicated she believed her client was indeed guilty. Heard laughing, she said the polygraph test he managed to pass "forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs." Grasping to cast Clinton - the early frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination - as someone far removed from the champion of women's rights around which she's molded her reputation as first lady, senator and secretary of state, some Republicans have rallied attention back to her handling of the case. Todd Akin, whose 2012 Senate campaign was largely annihilated by his theory that women who are victims of "legitimate rape" shouldn't be exempted from anti-abortion laws because they're unlikely to become pregnant, last month lambasted as "incredibly hypocritical" Clinton's defense of a child rapist "she knew to be guilty." He added that by laughing while discussing the case, Clinton "de-legitimized the legitimate claims of the 12-year-old victim," and that she "slandered the victim to justify her tactics." Clinton stood by her defense during her interview with Mumsnet: "When you're a lawyer you often don't have the choice as to who you will represent," she said. "And by the very nature of criminal law there will be those you represent you don't approve of. But, at least in our system, you have an obligation. And once I was appointed I fulfilled that obligation." *Arkansas Times blog: Arkansas Blog: “Hillary: Did her duty in 1975 rape case defense” <http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2014/07/08/hillary-did-her-duty-in-1975-rape-case-defense>* By Max Brantley July 8, 2014, 8:50 a.m. The vast right-wing conspiracy has succeeded in reopening mainstream media discussion of Hillary Clinton's role as a court-appointed lawyer in defense of a man accused of raping a 12-year-old in Fayetteville 39 years ago. She plea-bargained a short sentence for the man. She's given her first interview on the topic this year — the issue was plumbed in some depth in her 2008 presidential campaign and the elements of her response already were clear. But, she told Mumsnet, a British website, as reported in the New York Times: “I asked to be relieved of that responsibility, but I was not, and I had a professional duty to represent my client to the best of my ability, which I did.” The victim in the case, who didn't criticize Clinton when interviewed in 2008, has said in an interview this year that Clinton took her through hell. Regrettably, challenging a victim's credibility is part of the job of being a defense lawyer. It is hard on the victim, but it is the lawyer's obligation. A defendant, even an obviously heinous one, is constitutionally entitled to a legal defense. But, as several articles have noted recently (and it was an issue in a recent Arkansas Supreme Court case), acting as a defense lawyer has become a ripe source of political opponent attacks, ethical obligation or no. Earlier reporting by Michael Cook supported Clinton's statement that she didn't want to represent the defendant but had no choice. He demanded a female attorney. She was one of a very few female lawyers in Washington County at the time. The judge refused to release her from the appointment, the prosecutor said. *Der Spiegel (German Magazine): “Interview with Hillary Clinton: ‘Surveillance on Merkel's Phone Was Absolutely Wrong’” <http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/hillary-clinton-interview-on-german-us-ties-and-presidential-plans-a-979812.html>* By Marc Hujer and Holger Stark July 8, 2014, 11:34 a.m. In an interview, Hillary Clinton discusses the growing gap between the rich and poor that threatens democracy, Americans' discontent with politics, her regrets over NSA spying on Chancellor Merkel's mobile phone and her potential presidential candidacy. SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, you've been in politics for over three decades. During that time, discontent with politics has increased considerably. Do you think expectations have become unrealistic? Clinton: I think about this question a lot because we are putting an enormous amount of weight on one individual in our political system. In our country, we don't have a head of state and a head of government. We have one person: the president. That person has to fulfill the role of being the symbol of the country plus running the government. It is hard for anybody to carry that off. I think we're having a time in our history right now where people are disappointed in the political system, turned off by the political system, giving up on it or are wanting to hijack it with some ideological perspective. Therefore we need to enlist not just one person but kind of a consensus of leadership and citizenship to address that. SPIEGEL: American society is polarized as never before. The French economist Thomas Piketty wrote a bestseller "Capital in the Twenty First Century" which is making a lot of noise right now. Have you had the chance to read it? Clinton: I haven't read it yet. I've read very long essays about it and know what his principal point is. I think he makes a very strong case that we have unbalanced our economy too much towards favoring capital and away from labor. And I agree with his principal concern, which is that we have devalued labor. He talks about Europe, but it is the same thing in the United States. SPIEGEL: Piketty argues that the growing gap between the rich and the poor is threatening democracy. Clinton: I do agree with that. We've had this huge experiment known as America that was a diversity of populations, and we have held it together because we had a democracy that slowly over time included everybody. Even during the Great Depression people in the streets believed that they could make it and they would be better off. Now the relative wealth is much higher, but the disparity makes people believe that they're stuck. They no longer believe that things are going to get any better, no matter how hard they work. People have lost trust in each other and the political system and I think that's very threatening to democracy. SPIEGEL: The average annual income of an American household is $22,296 (€16,397). You earn up to $200,000 an hour for a speech. Can you understand if people are bothered by that? Clinton: Well, certainly, I can understand that, but that's never been the crux of the concern in our country, because we've always had people who did better than other people. That's just accepted. The problem is that people on the bottom and people in the middle class no longer feel like they have the opportunity to do better. The question is, how do we get back to having an economy that works for everybody and that once again gives people the optimism that they too will be successful. SPIEGEL: According to your description of the United States, you should actually be applauded for your prosperity. Clinton: Well, I think that if you go back and look at the last eight to 10 months, you'll see that people are seizing everything about me, and I accept that. I mean, that's part of being out in the public, out as a potential candidate, although I haven't made a decision. SPIEGEL: You recently described your financial situation during the presidency of your husband Bill Clinton as dead broke. Clinton: Well, when we came out of the White House, we were deeply in debt because of all the legal bills that we owed because of the relentless persecution of my husband and myself, and he had to work unbelievably hard to pay off every single penny of every debt we owed. And we did. SPIEGEL: Today, you are multimillionaires. Your husband has earned $104 million with his speeches since 2001. Clinton: We are very grateful for where we are today. But if you were to go back and look at the amount of money that we owed, we couldn't even get a mortgage on a house by ourselves. In our system he had to make double what he needed in order just to pay off the debt, and then to finance a house and continue to pay for our daughter's education. Hillary Clinton on the possibility she will run for president again: "I haven't made up my mind." SPIEGEL: Do you think it's a good system when you have to take such great personal and financial risks just in order to have a chance as a presidential candidate? Clinton: Well, I don't think it is for me today. People running for president and even holding office are subjected to a full range of all kinds of attacks. If you want to be in politics in our country today, you go in with your eyes wide open about the potential price that you and your family might pay, and that's why you have to be very, very sure you not only want to do the job, but that you know what you want to do with the job, and you can deliver on that. Look at the recent Presidents: my husband, George W. Bush, Barack Obama. It's an incredibly stressful job. It ages a person. It takes a very thick skin to be able to do this job. SPIEGEL: This all sounds like a vehement plea for your retirement. Clinton: (Laughs) Well, I haven't made up my mind. SPIEGEL: If you should decide to run for the presidency in 2016, your opponent could be Jeb Bush and he could quite possibly be the third Bush in the White House. Even his mother Barbara Bush has declared that she does not think it is a good idea. Do you agree? Clinton: I think the point she was making is understandable, but I also think in our democracy, anybody can run for any reason. And his last name may factor into it. The color of his eyes might factor into it. His policies, I hope, factor into it. SPIEGEL: A majority of people is glad that the Bush era is finally over. What kind of message would that send? Clinton: Well, there will be plenty of time to comment on that if indeed an election were to involve somebody with that last name, but I am not going to say anything about it now. SPIEGEL: For the past 25 years, there were two families that were very prominent in politics, your family and the Bush family. First George Bush was president for four years, then your husband led the country for eight years, and then George W. Bush was president for eight years. If either you or Jeb Bush were to win the election in 2016, once again a member of these two families would become president. Will the American democracy turn into a monarchy? Clinton: We had two Roosevelts. We had two Adams. It may be that certain families just have a sense of commitment or even a predisposition to want to be in politics. I ran for president, as you remember. I lost to somebody named Barack Obama, so I don't think there is any guarantee in American politics. My last name did not help me in the end. Our system is open to everyone. It is not a monarchy in which I wake up in the morning and abdicate in favor of my son. SPIEGEL: Would you like to see your daughter in politics? Clinton: It is really up to her, and I'll support her in whatever she chooses. Hillary Clinton on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: "He is a poor messenger." SPIEGEL: We want to throw a couple of names out there and you tell us the first thought that comes to mind. Neymar, the Brazilian? Clinton: Oh. Well, is he the one who got injured? How tragic that he'd be out when Brazil will be playing Germany. I watched some of the replay to try to see exactly what happened. It is a serious injury. I hope he comes back full speed. He's a great player. SPIEGEL: Jürgen Klinsmann, the American national coach. Clinton: I think he made some very shrewd decisions in his choice of who is on the team. But I think he proved to be a very effective coach, and his coaching brought out the best in the players that he chose, and it helped to finally, I think, put what we call soccer and you call football on the map in the United States. So I give him a lot of credit for that. SPIEGEL: Edward Snowden. Clinton: You know, I think he is a poor messenger for the message that he's trying to take credit for. He came into the National Security Agency apparently with the purpose of trying to gather a lot of information, and most of what he gathered had nothing to do with surveillance in the United States, but obviously around the world. And I think he could have provoked the debate in our country without stealing and distributing material that was government property and was of some consequence. And then for him to go first to China and then to Russia raises a lot of questions, but he is going to have to make his own choices. If he returns to the United States, he will certainly stand trial, but he will have an opportunity to speak out and to make his case in both a legal way and a public fashion. SPIEGEL: We actually wanted to talk about your book and not about the NSA, but since it became known on Fridaythat a member of the German intelligence agency was arrested who had admitted that he acted as a spy for a US intelligence service, the issue of the NSA has gained a new dimension. Given the tense political climate, do you believe the CIA could seriously come up with idea of infiltrating German intelligence? Clinton: Well, I know that your government is conducting a criminal investigation, and we will learn more as the facts are developed. And I know nothing other than what I read. But clearly, we have to do a much better job in working together between Germany and the United States to sort out what the appropriate lines of cooperation are on intelligence and security. I think the cooperation is necessary for our security, but we don't want to undermine it by raising doubts again and again. Clearly, the surveillance on Chancellor Merkel's phone was absolutely wrong. The president said that. I think that he made it very clear it was unacceptable. Where are the lines on both sides? That's what we have to work out. SPIEGEL: Would you agree that acquiring a source within the German intelligence agency should be taboo for US intelligence services? Clinton: I don't want to give a general answer. There's so much that goes on in intelligence circles. If we were to say no, under no circumstances, that you shouldn't do that to us, we shouldn't do that to you, what if a circumstance arises where it is conceivable that it would be in your interest and ours? The United States could never enter into a No-Spy agreement with any country -- not you, not Britain, not Canada. But that doesn't mean that within the intelligence and security institutions within our two countries, we shouldn't have a much clearer idea of what is appropriate and what should not be done. SPIEGEL: Do you think Angela Merkel deserves an apology? Clinton: Well, it is my understanding that the president and she have talked numerous times. SPIEGEL: Yes, but no public apology. Clinton: I'm not in the government anymore, but I'm sorry. *Politico: “Hillary Clinton: Thomas Piketty right on labor” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/hillary-clinton-thomas-piketty-income-inequality-108661.html>* By Maggie Haberman July 8, 2014, 12:06 p.m. EDT Hillary Clinton says she hasn’t yet read Thomas Piketty’s bestselling book on income inequality, but that she’s familiar with the gist and agrees that “we have devalued labor.” The potential 2016 presidential contender, in an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel, also said she “can understand” people being bothered by her high speaking fees, “but that’s never been the crux of the concern in our country, because we’ve always had people who did better than other people. That’s just accepted.” Clinton’s comments this week came as she travels in Europe to promote “Hard Choices,” her memoir about her time as secretary of state. The Piketty book has received attention as debate grows in the U.S. over how to deal with income inequality, an issue that has been driving economic policy discussions in the Democratic Party. Asked by the interviewer if she’s read Piketty’s “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” Clinton replied: “I haven’t read it yet. I’ve read very long essays about it and know what his principal point is. I think he makes a very strong case that we have unbalanced our economy too much towards favoring capital and away from labor.” She added: “And I agree with his principal concern, which is that we have devalued labor. He talks about Europe, but it is the same thing in the United States.” The current “disparity makes people believe that they’re stuck,” Clinton said. “They no longer believe that things are going to get any better, no matter how hard they work. People have lost trust in each other and the political system and I think that’s very threatening to democracy.” With regard to her own income from speaking fees, which can be upwards of $200,000 per speech, Clinton said: “The problem is that people on the bottom and people in the middle class no longer feel like they have the opportunity to do better. The question is, how do we get back to having an economy that works for everybody and that once again gives people the optimism that they too will be successful.” Clinton also was asked about her much-criticized earlier comments about being “dead broke” when she and former President Bill Clinton left the White House. “When we came out of the White House, we were deeply in debt because of all the legal bills that we owed because of the relentless persecution of my husband and myself,” she said. “And he had to work unbelievably hard to pay off every single penny of every debt we owed.” *Politico: “Hillary Clinton on dynasties: We had 2 Roosevelts” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/hillary-clinton-political-dynasty-der-spiegel-interview-108652.html?hp=l3>* By Jonathan Topaz July 8, 2014, 9:41 a.m. EDT Hillary Clinton on Tuesday defended her family and the Bushes, saying that U.S. politics has a history of political families but that the country is not a “monarchy.” In an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel, Clinton was asked whether the U.S. is at risk of becoming a monarchy if she or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush wins the presidency in 2016. “We had two Roosevelts. We had two Adams,” the former secretary of State said, invoking two of the most powerful political families in U.S. history. “It may be that certain families just have a sense of commitment or even a predisposition to want to be in politics.” John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. president, was the son of John Adams, the country’s second president. Former Presidents Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt were distant cousins. Some political commentators have suggested that a potential matchup between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton would make the U.S. politics feel dynastic, given those families’ relative dominance over American politics over the past 25 years. In the interview Tuesday, Clinton said that her defeat in the 2008 Democratic primary to then-Sen. Barack Obama signifies that name recognition isn’t enough to succeed in American politics. “I ran for president, as you remember,” she said. “I lost to somebody named Barack Obama, so I don’t think there is any guarantee in American politics. My last name did not help me in the end. Our system is open to everyone. It is not a monarchy in which I wake up in the morning and abdicate in favor of my son.” Former First Lady Barbara Bush, Jeb’s mother, said in January that she hoped her son wouldn’t run and that politicians from other families should lead the country. “I think this is a great American country, great country, and if we can’t find more than two or three families to run for high office, that’s silly, because there are great governors and great eligible people to run,” she said. A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday morning showed Clinton as the clear frontrunner among 2016 Democratic presidential contenders. Bush was tied for second in the survey of Republican voters, trailing Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul by one point. Clinton, who says she is still mulling over whether to run for president, told Der Spiegel that she will support her daughter Chelsea whether she chooses to become involved in politics or not. *Huffington Post: “Ready For Hillary Starts Spreading Its Money Around To Key States” <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/08/ready-for-hillary-money_n_5567110.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed>* By Amanda Terkel July 8, 2014, 11:38 a.m. EDT WASHINGTON -- Ready for Hillary, the organization setting the stage for Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016, has strategically distributed more than $175,000 to 33 state Democratic parties and national Democratic organizations. On May 28, Ready for Hillary shifted from being a super PAC to what's known as a "hybrid PAC." With the new designation, the group can contribute directly to federal candidates while still making unlimited expenditures like a super PAC (provided it's not coordinating with campaigns). According to a list shared shared exclusively with The Huffington Post, Ready for Hillary has given money to 27 state Democratic parties and six national organizations since its shift: Alaska Democratic Party Arkansas Democratic Party Colorado Democratic Party Delaware Democratic Party Florida Democratic Party Democratic Party of Georgia Idaho Democratic Party Indiana Democratic Party Iowa Democratic Party Kentucky Democratic Party Louisiana Democratic Party Maine Democratic Party Maryland Democratic Party Massachusetts Democratic Party Michigan Democratic Party Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Montana Democratic Party Nevada Democratic Party New Hampshire Democratic Party North Carolina Democratic Party Ohio Democratic Party South Carolina Democratic Party South Dakota Democratic Party Texas Democratic Party Utah Democratic Party Democratic Party of Virginia Democratic Party of Wisconsin Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) EMILY’s List Netroots Nation Women Winning PAC Young Democrats of America "Making these direct financial contributions allows Ready for Hillary to further our mission by boosting grassroots efforts across the country to elect Democrats in 2014 and beyond," a Ready for Hillary official said in an email. "This is our initial set of contributions, and we will provide additional financial support in the coming months while continuing to channel the enthusiasm of our more than two million grassroots supporters to help Democrats come out on top this Fall." Notably, the four early presidential primary states -- Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina -- are receiving funds from the group, as are all the states with major Senate races. Since Ready for Hillary formed, it has spent more than $5.7 million total, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. It has also rented the list of supporters from Clinton's 2008 presidential run and continued to build on it through fundraising appeals and events around the country -- an asset if Clinton does decide to jump into the field for 2016. Ready for Hillary is also helping to sponsor Democratic events and conventions -- often coinciding with a financial contribution to a state Democratic Party -- while holding community events and its Ready for Hillary Grassroots Tour. The group's prominent bus has been going around the country, following Clinton as she promotes her new memoir. The group has also attracted some high-profile supporters who want Clinton to run, such as Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). *Washington Post blog: Post Politics: “Hillary Clinton ‘sorry’ that Merkel’s phone was tapped” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/08/hillary-clinton-sorry-that-merkels-phone-was-tapped/>* By Sean Sullivan July 8, 2014, 11:29 a.m. EDT Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview published Tuesday that it was wrong for U.S. intelligence officials to spy on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone and said she is "sorry" that it happened. "Clearly, the surveillance on Chancellor Merkel's phone was absolutely wrong. The president said that. I think that he made it very clear it was unacceptable," Clinton told Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine. She added, "I'm not in the government anymore, but I'm sorry." In the interview, Clinton rejected the notion that the American political process is beginning to resemble a monarchy, given the dominance of her family and the Bush family. She also defended the money she and Bill Clinton have made over the years, signaled openness to daughter Chelsea Clinton entering politics and criticized former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. "We are very grateful for where we are today. But if you were to go back and look at the amount of money that we owed, we couldn't even get a mortgage on a house by ourselves. In our system, he had to make double what he needed in order just to pay off the debt, and then to finance a house and continue to pay for our daughter's education," Clinton said in a discussion about her family's finances. When asked about dynasties, Clinton said: "We had two Roosevelts. We had two Adams. It may be that certain families just have a sense of commitment or even a predisposition to want to be in politics. I ran for president, as you remember. I lost to somebody named Barack Obama, so I don't think there is any guarantee in American politics. My last name did not help me in the end. Our system is open to everyone. It is not a monarchy in which I wake up in the morning and abdicate in favor of my son." Clinton said Snowden has fallen short with his attempt to raise the issue of domestic surveillance among the American people. "I think he is a poor messenger for the message that he's trying to take credit for," she said. "He came into the National Security Agency apparently with the purpose of trying to gather a lot of information, and most of what he gathered had nothing to do with surveillance in the United States, but obviously around the world." *National Journal: “If Hillary Clinton Doesn't Run, Who Would Lead the Democratic Field for President?” <http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/if-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-run-who-would-lead-the-democratic-field-for-president-20140708>* By Matt Vasilogambros July 8, 2014 [Subtitle:] Other potential Democratic candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Cuomo are largely unknown among potential voters, according to a new poll. Hillary Clinton is almost certainly going to run for president. But what if she doesn't, and the Democratic field winds up wide open? If she chooses not to run, leaving the Democratic nomination for president up for the taking, Democrats would be in actual disarray, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday. Right now, Clinton leads in the potential Democratic field with 58 percent, topping Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (11 percent), Vice President Joe Biden (9 percent) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (4 percent). Democrats clearly expect Clinton will make a run for president, and they would generally support her candidacy if it happens. Clinton's lead is much larger than it was at this point in 2006—after which she would eventually lose the nomination to a little-known senator from Illinois. In a June 2006 Gallup Poll, she led with 37 percent among Democrats in a theoretical 2008 matchup, followed by former Vice President Al Gore at 16 percent, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at 13 percent, and Secretary of State John Kerry at 12 percent. But if you take Clinton out of the picture for 2016, the rest of the field consists of candidates whom Democrats either don't want or don't know. Take Joe Biden. The vice president holds a strong 73 percent favorability rating among Democrats, but, clearly, Democrats prefer other people to him for the presidency. Biden is behind Warren in this latest poll by a couple of percentage points, and far behind Clinton. While several Democrats have higher favorable than unfavorable ratings, the percentage of people who haven't heard enough about them is much higher—50 percent for Cuomo, 88 percent for Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, 53 percent for Warren, and 88 percent for former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, according to this poll. If Clinton didn't run, Democrats wouldn't know enough about the rest of the theoretical field to have a clear front-runner. Now, this all being said, Barack Obama was almost nowhere to be found at this point in the election cycle in 2006. He managed to get the support of only 1 percent of all voters when they were asked in June 2006 whom they would most like to see elected president in 2008. Obama didn't start hinting he would run for president until later in the summer. People didn't know much about Obama, but it worked out for him just fine. It could work out for another Democrat, too. *Washington Free Beacon: “MSNBC Slams Hillary Clinton Over Rape Tapes” <http://freebeacon.com/politics/msnbc-slams-hillary-clinton-over-rape-tapes/>* By Washington Free Beacon Staff July 8, 2014, 9:01 a.m. EDT An MSNBC panel slammed Hillary Clinton over the tapes uncovered by the Washington Free Beacon which record her laughing about freeing a child rapist, calling her behavior “jarring” and “disturbing.” “She sounded boastful,” noted Joe Scarborough. “She sounded boastful on the tape that she was able to get this 41-year-old guy who raped a young girl, a minor girl, and get him off and was laughing about the evidence, laughing about the lie detector test, laughing about a lot of it. It’s disturbing to say the least, isn’t it?” The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein agreed, “Yeah, the boastfulness in the audiotape is certainly disturbing and, you know, whereas she could have sounded regretful about the circumstances of the case and the outcome but still admitted this was her job and she fulfilled it.” Mika Brzezinski asked, “From the boastful tone, is that a problem for Hillary Clinton, being dismissive of a young girl who was abused sexually?” Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin replied, “I think it’s a little bit off key given what her campaign will be about.” Halperin also speculated that this story shows that the American public may know less about Clinton than they think they do: “We think we know everything about her? This story and others that have come out in the last few months show there’s lots more to come.” Scarborough added that, while he was an attorney and knows many attorneys, he has never heard anyone discuss defending a child rapist in the flippant manner Clinton displays in the tape. “That is jarring,” he said. ”I’m not sure why she is bragging about getting a child rapist two months.” Al Sharpton concurred with the other panelists, observing, “It clearly is not the kind of situation that she wants to have to defend when you’re hearing your own voice taking lightly something that speaks to one of your core issues, and that is the value of women.”