The Republican candidates for president now have something to read during their road trips through Iowa and New Hampshire, courtesy of Hillary Clinton.

The former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate has sent copies of her memoir “Hard Choices” to her Republican counterparts, reports Time.

At an event in Muscatine, Iowa, Clinton explained the rationale behind her gifts. “You know, I hear the Republicans talking from time to time in their debates and elsewhere, and they say things like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what she accomplished as secretary of state,’ ” Clinton said. “And then I thought maybe they just don’t know, so I have now sent each of them a copy of my book ‘Hard Choices,’ about what we did during those four years.”

Clinton sent a letter with the books, which reads in part: “From working to restore America’s standing in the world to bringing crippling sanctions to Iran to negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza, please enjoy all 596 pages of my time as secretary of state. With 15 candidates in the race, you’ve got enough people for a book club!”


While there are indeed 15 Republican candidates for president, only 14 of them benefited from Clinton’s largesse. The Huffington Post reports that former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who has failed to garner much support for his bid, was not sent Clinton’s memoir. (Although if his campaign funds allow, he can order a paperback copy from Amazon for just $12.61.)

In what could be either a sign of respect or additional trolling, the letters were sent to the candidates under their formal names, such as “Piyush Jindal,” “Cara C. Fiorina” and “Rafael E. Cruz.”

Some of the candidates, unsurprisingly, wasted no time hitting back. A spokeswoman for Jeb Bush told Time he had yet to receive his book, and added a jab about the ongoing controversy surrounding Clinton’s use of a personal email address while she was secretary of state. “Governor Bush hopes Secretary Clinton will have an opportunity to read his e-book, ‘Reply All,’ when it comes out in a few weeks,” the spokeswoman said. “The book, based on Governor Bush’s emails while in office, is a good lesson on the importance of transparency in government.”

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted that he’d reciprocate Clinton’s gift, writing: “We’ll gladly return the favor and send @HillaryClinton’s campaign #ATimeForTruth because, well...”


This isn’t the first time in this campaign that a candidate has sent a rival a gift. On Monday, GOP front-runner Donald Trump sent fellow Republican Marco Rubio a case of “Trump Ice Natural Spring Water” and some “Make America Great Again” towels. “I’ve never seen a guy down water like he downs water,” Trump explained.

Rubio, with a laugh, thanked Trump: “Apparently the water is very high-quality water; it’s top-notch water. We’re grateful for the gift.”