Obama campaign manager accuses Clinton of 'George Bush secrecy'

Attempting to pivot away from a damaging dust-up stemming from an adviser's attack on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama's campaign on Friday returned to press the former First Lady to release her post-White House tax returns.

Campaign manager David Plouffe did not back off the Obama campaign's recent attacks on Clinton as too scandal-plagued and secrecy-prone to be president.

"What the American people don't need is more George Bush secrecy in the White House," Plouffe told reporters Friday.

Clinton has accused the Obama camp of "Ken Starr"-style politics for criticizing her over tax returns and other 90s scandals. The tax returns will be released in mid-April, the campaign has said.

Plouffe spoke during a campaign conference call a day after controversy erupted when Obama adviser Samantha Power slipped up during a newspaper interview and called Clinton "a monster." Power resigned Friday morning.

Although the senior Obama aide avoided any mention of the controversy in his opening remarks, he couldn't avoid it as soon as reporters began asking questions. He said Power made the right call when she announced her resignation.

"She's been a valuable part of our campaign," he said, "but we don't condone those kinds of comments."

Plouffe went on to accuse Clinton surrogates and advisers of attacking other candidates. He mentioned BET founder Robert Johnson's slam of Obama, invoking the candidates past drug use. Clinton did not immediately rebuke Johnson's comments and he waited several days before issuing an apology. During a conference call earlier Friday a Clinton spokesman said he didn't remember the details of Johnson's comments and noted that other advisers who behaved inappropriately had been fired.

"Apparently there are different standards here as it relates to conduct," Plouffe chided.

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