Reporter To Wolfson: What Does Hillary Think Of Bill's Pardons Of Weather Underground Members?
David Corn of Mother Jones and Hillary spokesperson Howard Wolfson went at it hard on the Hillary conference call today -- with Corn repeatedly demanding to know what Hillary thinks of the fact that her husband pardoned two members of the Weather Underground.
Wolfson said he'd ask her. It's probably a question that the Hillary campaign will be pressed on in the days ahead.
Hillary hit Obama hard over his ties to former Weather Underground member William Ayers at the debate yesterday. And on the call today, Hillary advisers kept up the pressure, pointing out that Ayers hosted an event at his home for Obama when he ran for state senator and that this was a legitimate topic for journalistic scrutiny.
It's an intriguing move, to say the least. The Clinton camp was so eager to get Ayers' name into the political conversation that they were willing to risk not one, but two possible blowbacks: First, the inevitable criticism they'll take for going so negative; and second, questions about Bill's pardons.
The Clinton camp appears to have gotten what they wanted -- for now. As Ben Smith notes, "Ayers" is "the fifth most searched term on Google, according to Google Trends."
But it remains to be seen whether there will be voter backlash over this, and whether reporters will pressure the Hillary campaign to respond to questions about Bill's pardons.
Late Update: Here's audio of the conference call:
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