Wikileaks has released thousands of emails from John Podesta this week. Stay tuned to this blog post for continuing updates of this developing story. The newest updates are at the top. To read the series of events in chronological order, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Several emails have demonstrated a climate of anti-Catholicism and anti-Evangelical Christianity from senior members of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
CatholicVote.org has called for the resignation or dismissal of all Clinton staffers who made disparaging remarks about Catholics, or admitted to using religion to undermine the Catholic Church.
3:52 PM – Oct 13
WikiLeaks releases email from former head of Catholics in Alliance for Common Good, thanking Clinton campaign chairman for his support and participation.
Clinton campaign chairman, John Podesta, allegedly helped, supported, and participated in the “movement” of Catholics in Alliance for Common Good. In another email (see below), Podesta admits the group was created to organize for a revolution within the Church. It seems Podesta continued to have a role in the organization.
Read the email transcript here.
9:09 AM – Oct 12
WikiLeaks releases email from Clinton campaign chairman, admitting Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good was created to ‘plant seeds of revolution’ within Catholic Church
In 2012, Sandy Newman, President of Voices for Progress sent an email to John Podesta, Clinton Campaign Chairman, “musing” on the possibility of “planting the seeds of a revolution” within the Catholic Church. Newman cites the widespread use of contraception by Catholics and the need for a “Catholic Spring” rebellion against Church hierarchy.
In reply, Campaign Chairman John Podesta admits Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good was created “to organize for a moment like this.” He then comments that the movement needs to be conducted from the bottom up, and that he would follow up with others about the idea.
Read the email transcript here.
Other news stories on the “Catholic Spring” leak:
9:00 AM – Oct 12
CatholicVote.org urges members to call campaign office to demand resignation
CV opened an early morning email to subscribers with: “Two words Hillary Clinton should use at her morning staff meeting: “‘You’re fired!’” The email, blasted out to almost half a million Catholic Americans, asked members to call the Hillary campaign’s Brooklyn office and demand the resignation of Campaign Spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri.
Click here to read CV’s email blast.
12:01 AM – Oct 12
CatholicVote.org calls on Clinton campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri to resign
In the early hours following the WikiLeaks reveal, CatholicVote.org released a statement calling for the immediate resignation or dismissal of Clinton campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri for her participation in this anti-Catholic conversation. Not only did Palmieri fail to push back on Halpin’s anti-Catholic comments, she even suggested that these conversions to Catholicism were not authentic, but motivated by social pressure because “their rich friends wouldn’t understand if they became evangelicals.”
In a press release on Wednesday morning, CV President Brian Burch said, “Everyone has a unique faith journey, and it’s just insulting to make blanket statements maligning people’s motives for converting to another faith tradition. Had Palmieri spoken this way about other groups she would dismissed. Palmieri must resign immediately or be fired.”
Other media stories on CV’s call for top Clinton aide’s resignation:
5:00 PM – Oct. 11
WikiLeaks releases email between Hillary’s campaign staff and allies mocking Catholics
An email chain entitled “Conservative Catholicism” between high-level staffers and allies of the Clinton campaign were released yesterday by Wikileaks. In the emails, John Halpin, a staffer at Clinton allied Center for American Progress, mocks News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch and WSJ’s Robert Thompson for raising their kids Catholic.
Halpin remarks that many powerful conservatives are Catholics who “must be attracted to the systemic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy.”
Clinton campaign spokeswoman replied in agreement, calling Catholicism “the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldn’t understand if they became evangelical.”
Read the full email transcript here.