The WikiLeaks hack of what are purported to be top Clinton adviser John Podesta’s emails has yielded another embarrassment for the campaign in the form of a March 3 message that lists potential vice presidential candidates in groups of Latinos, blacks, and women:
Cheryl, Robby, Jake, Huma, Jennifer and I also did a first cut of people to consider for VP. I have organized names in rough food groups.
Javier Becerra [sic]
Julian Castro
Eric Garcetti
Tom Perez
Ken Salazar
Tammy Baldwin
Kirsten Gillibrand
Amy Klobuchar
Claire McKaskill [sic]
Jeanne Shaheen
Debbie Stabenow
Elizabeth Warren
Steve Benjamin
Corey Booker
Andrew Gillum
Eric Holder
Deval Patrick
Kasim Reed
Anthony Foxx
(Eric Garcetti is the mayor of Los Angeles. Benjamin, Gillum, and Reed are the mayors of Columbia, South Carolina; Tallahassee, Florida; and Atlanta. The rest of the individuals on the list are current or former governors, Cabinet members, and members of Congress. The advisers mentioned in the first line quoted are likely Clinton advisers Cheryl Mills, Robby Mook, Jake Sullivan, Huma Abedin, and Jennifer Palmieri.)
There’s also a group of business/nonprofit types that includes some interesting names: GM CEO Mary Barra, Michael Bloomberg, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns (the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company), Apple CEO Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent (who comes from a Muslim family, though he says he’s nonpracticing), Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.
In the end, of course, Clinton went with a running mate from the “white guy” portion of the list, which also included Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. (Oddly enough, Bernie Sanders is his own part of the list, further down in the email, in a group that consists solely of Bernie Sanders.)
Podesta has not confirmed the authenticity of any of the leaked emails. Russia is suspected of having committed the hack.
