ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP)- Hillary Rodham Clinton is turning to her communications chief and pollster to plan her presidential election strategy after giving the boot to a polarizing top aide because of his work on behalf of a trade agreement Clinton opposes.
Mark Penn, a lightning rod for controversy throughout Clinton’s presidential campaign, left the campaign Sunday after it was disclosed he had met with representatives of the Colombian government in his capacity as chief executive of public relations giant Burson-Marsteller to help promote the trade agreement.
Communications director Howard Wolfson and pollster Geoff Garin will direct the campaign’s message and strategic efforts for the campaign going forward, said campaign manager Maggie Williams.
She said Penn will continue “to provide polling and advice to the campaign.”
Penn’s departure comes as Clinton, considered the front-runner for the Democratic nomination last year, trails Barack Obama in delegates and the popular vote with a must-win primary in Pennsylvania April 22 and nine other contests remaining.
Clinton almost certainly will end the primary season narrowly behind Obama in the popular vote and pledged delegates unless the nullified primaries in Florida and Michigan are counted- a scenario that seems remote.
Her challenge will be to persuade some 800 superdelegates to back her despite the numbers.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Penn, who serves as chief executive of public relations giant Burson-Marsteller, met with Colombian officials March 31 to help craft strategy to move the Colombian free trade agreement through Congress.
An administration official said Monday that President George W. Bush plans to announce that he is sending the free trade agreement with Colombia to Congress.
This will force lawmakers to vote within 90 days.
Clinton opposes such a deal, and Penn later issued a statement apologizing for the meeting, calling it an “error in judgment.”
Voters in states such as Pennsylvania blame trade agreements for the loss of jobs, and both Clinton and Obama have been critical of such pacts.
But Penn’s apology was not sufficient. Aides said both Hillary and Bill Clinton were angry upon hearing of the meeting and that Penn was quickly pushed to leave.
Penn pushed Clinton to adopt a meat-and-potatoes, issue-based campaign that stressed her “strength and experience” but managed to overlook voters’ desire for fundamental political change, which rival Obama was able to capture.
According to Justice Department filings, Colombia agreed last year to pay Burson-Marsteller $300,000 (euro190,815) to help “educate members of the U.S. Congress and other audiences” about the trade deal and secure continued U.S. funding for the $5 billion (euro3.18 billion) anti-narcotics program Plan Colombia.
The Colombian government announced Saturday it had fired Burson-Marsteller after Penn apologized for meeting with its representatives, saying his statement conveyed a “lack of respect” for the country.