Among the Top Ten things you wouldn’t want to happen as a campaign hits the crucial stretch run? Lose your top strategist and pollster.
Mark Penn, a major architect in Hillary Clinton’s run for the presidency, ran into a conflict-of-interest when, as the Wall Street Journal reported, he met with Colombia representatives about a trade deal the senator opposes. Penn met with the Colombians because he’s the chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm hired to craft a message for the Colombians about the trade deal.
The Associated Press is reporting that the Clinton campaign asked Penn to resign, but CNN said he will continue to advise Clinton, just not as senior strategist. Penn’s been close with the Clintons for more than a decade after he polled for Bill Clinton during his 1996 re-election bid and he was part of Hillary Clinton’s first bid for Senate in 2000.
