Donna Brazile says she has no regrets about her interactions with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign while working as a CNN contributor.
CNN last week cut ties with Brazile, who is currently the interim chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), amid reports she tipped off Clinton’s team about debate questions.
{mosads}“My conscience, as an activist, as a strategist, my conscience is very clear,” she told host Joe Madison on his Sirius XM broadcast Monday. “When I said what I said, I said it, and I’m not going back on it.”
“But also understand that throughout the primary season, whether it was 2008, 2004 or 2000 whatever, 2016, I was in touch with everybody,” Brazile added of the Democratic presidential primaries she’s been involved with.
“[Former Gov.] Martin O’Malley [D-Md.], [Sen.] Bernie Sanders [I-Vt.]. who I’ve known for over 30 years, Hillary Clinton, who I’ve known for. … You’re doggone right I’m gonna talk to everybody.”
Brazile said collaborating with both Democratic and Republican campaign teams was a common part of her role at CNN.
“Joe, I will never go out on TV or go on radio without the facts,” she told Madison. “I will ask, I will submit things, I will circulate things, and guess what, I also enjoy the exchanges I have with my colleagues.”
“Here comes a real shocker,” Brazile continued. “I also talk to Republicans. Before I go to their events, I talk to them. Before I go to their events, I talk to them. What are the topics, what are we going to be talking about, sometimes I don’t even know the issues myself and I have to have to ask, I have to call around.
“So I talk to everybody. People are outraged now because we’re in this period of time that everybody has selective outreach.”
WikiLeaks last week published a stolen email that apparently shows Brazile alerting Clinton’s camp about a debate question.
The email went to two top aides for the Democratic presidential nominee on March 5, the day before a Democratic primary debate in Flint, Mich. She told them an audience member would ask what Clinton would do to help the people of Flint deal with their contaminated water supply.
The former CNN correspondent has also faced scrutiny for another leaked email that seemed to show her providing Clinton’s aides with questions prior to a March 13 town hall.