WIKILEAKS - Arkansas flag and Robert E Lee day
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/25704
Arkansas flag and Robert E Lee day
From:jpalmieri@hillaryclinton.com
To: Tina@presidentclinton.com, cminassian@clintonfoundation.org, Angel@presidentclinton.com, kfinney@hillaryclinton.com, nmerrill@hillaryclinton.com, ha16@hillaryclinton.com
Date: 2015-06-21 01:35
Subject: Arkansas flag and Robert E Lee day
Thought it was a good idea to link up chains and level set with everyone on Arkansas press issues.
Someone moved oppo research today designed to put WJC and HRC in a tough spot by noting that the Arkansas flag has a confederate star on it and WJC signed legislation making a Robert E. Lee holiday in 1987. I believe there is legislation in the Arkansas legislature to repeal the holiday.
There has been some limited activity on Twitter about this and we have only gotten one question from Jake Tapper. (We are not responding to him tonight.). So I don't think this is something we need to resolve tonight but the issue could hang around and HRC could get asked about it - so worth thinking about potential responses.
The Robert E Lee question has popped up now and then, going back to WH days. As far as we can discern, we have never engaged in a substantive way.
Team WJC - when ready, would you let us know your all thoughts on how and if we should engage on these questions? I imagine making a decision on the Arkansas flag and the holiday repeal may make for complicated politics back home - so understand this is tricky and could take time to figure out.
We will stand by on our end, or happy to do a call tomorrow to talk through.
HRC has an event at a black church on Tuesday in St Louis, for awareness.
Thanks, all.
Sent from my iPhone