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Re: Hillary Clinton to Jewish donors: I’ll be better for Israel than Obama - POLITICO

From:jsullivan@hillaryclinton.com To: creynolds@hillaryclinton.com CC: re47@hillaryclinton.com, dschwerin@hillaryclinton.com, oshur@hillaryclinton.com, john.podesta@gmail.com, nmerrill@hillaryclinton.com Date: 2015-07-03 16:44 Subject: Re: Hillary Clinton to Jewish donors: I’ll be better for Israel than Obama - POLITICO

We have a two pager I'm getting clearance from her on. That is what we have to ship around. On Jul 3, 2015, at 12:17 PM, Christina Reynolds < creynolds@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: We could either get a donor to leak it or just give it to a reporter if we want to get it out there. I'm semi-surprised it's not out yet. On Jul 3, 2015, at 12:15 PM, Robby Mook <re47@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: Do we need to push it harder over the next few days? Get something written? I feel like we're going to want something to point to. Or maybe even just content on the website? On Jul 3, 2015, at 12:12 PM, Dan Schwerin <dschwerin@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: That's basically the goal of the BDS letter. On Fri, Jul 3, 2015 at 12:11 PM, Robby Mook <re47@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: > I was just thinking: has she made a clear statement on Israel yet? I get > this question from donors all the time. Does she need to state her > principles on Israel before Iran? Or do both at the same time? > > > > On Jul 3, 2015, at 10:00 AM, Oren Shur <oshur@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: > > This article seems to make the case for the Mook approach - clear, direct > and principled. > > Sent from my iPhone > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From:* Ian Sams <isams@hillaryclinton.com> > *Date:* July 3, 2015 at 9:31:09 AM EDT > *To:* Clips <clips@hillaryclinton.com> > *Subject:* *Hillary Clinton to Jewish donors: I’ll be better for Israel > than Obama - POLITICO* > > > > http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/hillary-clinton-jewish-donors-israel-119705.html > > Hillary Clinton to Jewish donors: I’ll be better for Israel than Obama > > But the former secretary of state is sending mixed signals on the > president's Iran deal. > > > By Kenneth P. Vogel <http://www.politico.com/reporters/KennethPVogel.html> > and Tarini Parti <http://www.politico.com/reporters/TariniParti.html> > > 7/3/15 6:33 AM EDT > > Updated 7/3/15 6:33 AM EDT > > > Hillary Clinton is privately signaling to wealthy Jewish donors that — no > matter the result of the Iranian nuclear negotiations > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/iran-nuclear-talks-geneva-john-kerry-5-things-to-watch-119482.html> > — she will be a better friend to Israel than President Barack Obama. > > But, even as donors increasingly push Clinton on the subject in private, > they have emerged with sometimes widely varying interpretations about > whether she would support a prospective deal, according to interviews with > more than 10 influential donors and fundraising operatives. > > Story Continued Below > > Clinton’s private responses in some ways resemble a foreign policy > Rorschach test; donors who see a deal as important to world peace have come > away thinking that Clinton shares their perspective, but so, too, do donors > who oppose any prospective agreement as compromising Israeli security. > > Publicly, she’s expressed support > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/clinton-on-iran-deal-diplomacy-deserves-a-chance-to-succeed-116646.html> > for the negotiating process, which she secretly initiated > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/hillary-clintons-secret-iran-man-116647.html> > during her time as secretary of state, but has also said “no > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/14/hillary-clinton-iran_n_5323991.html> > deal is better than a bad > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/14/hillary-clinton-iran_n_5323991.html> > deal > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/14/hillary-clinton-iran_n_5323991.html> > .” > > With the talks heading into the home stretch in > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/iran-nuclear-talks-extended-119584.html> > Vienna > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/iran-nuclear-talks-extended-119584.html>, > the issue is emerging as an early test for Clinton’s presidential campaign. > She’s already struggling to balance two of her biggest strengths as a > candidate — her deep foreign policy track record and her vaunted > fundraising ability — and that balance could become even trickier if > there’s a deal. > > “Whatever way you go, there will be some people who won’t like it,” said > Sarah Kovner, a prominent New York donor > <http://politicalpartytime.org/party/38482/> who is a leading bundler for > Clinton’s campaign and worked in Bill Clinton’s presidential > administration. “You can’t have everybody with you. You’ve got to do what > you think is right for the country.” > > The negotiations are of intense interest for some Jewish donors whose > political giving is animated by their support for Israel. They’re being > counted on by Clinton’s allies to donate huge sums for a campaign and a > pair of supportive super PACs that, taken together, are expected to raise > $2 billion or more. > > Clinton’s campaign rejected any suggestion that she’s trying to have it > both ways on Iran. > > “Her support for the negotiating process and touting support for Israel > are not contradictory,” said Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill. “A strong deal > is good for Israel in her view.” > > And several people who’ve heard her address the issue say the fact that > different people can come away with such different interpretations is a > testament to her nuanced approach to the issue and her skill as a > politician, rather than any vacillation on the subject. > > “That’s just smart politics,” said one donor who supports the negotiations > and recently talked to her about them. “Because, right now, you have the > freedom to say all those things, so why would you commit and box yourself > in until you saw what the deal was?” > > Clinton recently told another pro-deal donor that she was “very supportive > of the negotiating process,” the donor recalled, while a third funder said > she boasted of her role in starting the talks. “So it seemed like she was > supporting it,” recalled the funder. > > And, at a Manhattan fundraiser last week featuring a largely Jewish group > of donors, Clinton defended Obama against charges he had weakened the > U.S.-Israel relationship, asserting that such criticism stemmed from a > “perception” problem, according to a donor who was present. But she also > suggested that if she were elected president she could correct that problem > and bring the two nations closer. > > “Diplomacy is all about personal relationships, and I’ve got my own > relationships,” she said, referencing her two-decade association with > Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an ardent opponent of the Iran > deal and, occasionally, of Obama. Clinton even cited her rapport with > former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, who last week published > a book that was brutally critical of the Obama administration and was timed > for release to try to stymie the Iran > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/michael-oren-new-book-obama-iran-deal-119317.html> > deal > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/michael-oren-new-book-obama-iran-deal-119317.html>. > “I know Michael well, but I haven’t read the book,” she said. > > At a fundraiser last month at the Long Island home of Democratic donor Jay > Jacobs, Clinton was asked by an Orthodox rabbi about threats to Israel’s > security. “She did stress in no uncertain terms her full and fervent > support of the state of Israel and the defense of the state of Israel,” > recalled Jacobs. “And the people in the audience who heard it seemed to be > comfortable with her answer.” > > Likewise, donors at a different New York fundraiser seemed to fully accept > her answer to a slightly different question about the U.S. interest in the > deal, said billionaire hedge fund manager Marc Lasry, a leading Clinton > donor. “She said ‘I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of the U.S.,’ > and that was the end of it,” Lasry said. > > Dan Berger, a Philadelphia lawyer and major Democratic donor who supports > the framework of a deal, cautioned that the interests of the U.S. and > Israel, “although close, are not identical. It might not be in the best > interest of American Jews, but it’s got to be in the best interest of the > majority of the people.” He urged Jewish donors “to take a step back and > look at the complexity and judge the agreement based on its merits,” > adding: “I’d hope Hillary would judge it based on its merits and not on > political support.” > > Lasry rejected the suggestion that Clinton would even consider the > fundraising implications when assessing any deal. > > But Clinton’s senior foreign policy advisers have briefed interested > wealthy donors on both the negotiations over the deal and its prospects for > congressional approval, according to one donor who recently talked to a top > Clinton aide. > > “It’s a tricky issue for her,” said the donor who was briefed, arguing > that Jewish donors who oppose a deal and favor military intervention in > Iran “are going to put her in a box.” > > Clinton’s allies are carefully monitoring the sensitivities of a handful > of hawkish Democratic mega-donors for signs that the Iran talks may be > influencing their willingness to write million-dollar super PAC checks. > Chief among that group is billionaire Hollywood entrepreneur Haim Saban, > who sources say has spoken multiple times with Clinton and her top aides > about the deal. > > In April, he strongly suggested > <http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/239091-saban-hints-clinton-opposes-the-iran-deal> > that Clinton opposed the deal. “I know where she stands, but I can’t talk > about it,” Saban told an Israeli television news channel, adding under > questioning, “She has an opinion, a very well-defined opinion. And in any > case, everything that she thinks and everything she has done and will do > will always be for the good of Israel. We don’t need to worry about this.” > > He soon backtracked, saying “I > <http://freebeacon.com/politics/top-pro-israel-donor-unsure-of-clintons-position-on-iran-deal/> > have no idea > <http://freebeacon.com/politics/top-pro-israel-donor-unsure-of-clintons-position-on-iran-deal/> > what Hillary thinks about the Iran deal.” > > And multiple prominent Jewish donors who joined Saban at a White House > meeting > <http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/238669-obama-pleads-with-jewish-groups-to-back-iran-deal> > with Obama in April to discuss the Iran negotiations said Saban expressed > open-mindedness about supporting the deal, though one participant suggested > his opinion shouldn’t hold as much weight as those of foreign policy > professionals. > > “Haim Saban is a very smart businessman who has a tremendous amount of > love for the Clintons, but I don’t think he is the most sophisticated > policy analyst that there is,” said the donor. > > Saban’s representatives did not respond to questions about his > interactions with Clinton. > > But on Thursday, POLITICO reported > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/soros-helps-pro-clinton-super-pacs-to-20-million-haul-119669.html?ml=po> > that he donated $2 million this year to a super PAC supporting her > presidential campaign, which Democratic finance sources interpreted as a > sign that Saban’s financial support will not be conditioned on Clinton > taking a certain stance on the Iran deal. > > Steve Rabinowitz, a Democratic consultant who worked in the Clinton White > House and was a co-founder of Jewish Americans Ready for Hillary, argued > that the Iran deal isn’t going to be a deciding issue for either donors or > voters. > > “Do people in my community talk about the Iran deal? Sure. But is it > affecting their support for Hillary Clinton? No,” he said. “Iran certainly > will — and already has — become a talking point, but it will not move three > votes or $3.” > > Clinton has the potential to bring along donors like Saban who might have > been skeptical of negotiating with Iran, argued the Long Island donor > Jacobs. “Hillary has a lot of credibility and support in the Jewish > community. It’s broad and deep. People understand that she has fought and > has been there as an advocate,” he said. “So when she speaks on the issue, > there will be more people in the Jewish community who have perhaps unfairly > not appreciated President Obama’s support who will at least give her view a > more open-minded assessment.” > > If Clinton backs any eventual deal, its proponents will be under pressure > to step up their giving — both to the Clinton super PACs and to pro-deal > groups — because she is likely to come under heavy fire from deep-pocketed > groups > <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/14-million-ad-buy-targets-obamas-iran-deal-119353.html> > that oppose the deal. > > “If there’s a deal, and she comes out in favor of it, you can be sure > there will be a great deal of fire trained on her,” said Noah Pollak, the > executive director of the Emergency Committee for Israel. The conservative > group has worked to rally opposition to the talks and this week began > airing an ad > <http://www.timesofisrael.com/influential-ny-senator-urged-to-tip-balance-in-iran-talks/> > pressuring New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is considered a key > vote on the deal, to oppose it. > > The left-leaning Israel advocacy group J Street, which has worked to build > support for the deal, is expected to come to the defense of supporters, > including potentially Clinton, though on some issues, the group’s members > regard her as too hawkish for their tastes. > > “For people who speak on these Middle East issues on which we have strong > positions, we come to their support and defense on those issues, regardless > of party, regardless of candidacy,” said Victor A Kovner, a Democratic > donor who chairs J Street’s PAC. > > Kovner, like his wife, Sarah Kovner, is backing Clinton, and said he has > communicated his support for a deal to the candidate. > > “She is familiar with my view, but she has a lot of supporters and > advisers on both sides of this question — around the nation, both within > the Jewish community and beyond the Jewish community.” > Authors: > View Comments > > > -- > Ian Sams > (423) 915-6592 > >