O’Malley chides Clinton on trade deal

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-Md.) is prodding his fellow Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton in a fundraising email designed to highlight his opposition to the trade deal burgeoning on Capitol Hill.

{mosads}The email includes the subject line “Hard choice?” a less-than veiled reference to Clinton’s 2014 book of the same name. The reference conjures up questions about Clinton’s recent support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which she’s backed away from in recent public appearances.

“To me, opposing bad trade deals like TPP is just common sense,” O’Malley wrote in the email. 

“American workers whose jobs could be on the line right now are owed more than lip service. They deserve to know where leaders stand. 

Progressive groups are criticizing Clinton for her past support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal with 11 other countries that has split the Democratic Party.

During a campaign trip to New Hampshire on Tuesday, Clinton sidestepped giving a clear stance on the TPP, telling reporters she hopes any deal would “produce jobs and raise wages and increase prosperity.” 

That’s a step back from previous statements, specifically in Hard Choices, where she called the TPP one of the “most important tools for engaging with Vietnam” and touted the proposal for helping American workers.  

And from 2012, when she praised the TPP as the “gold standard in trade agreements.”

But for now, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told USA Today she’ll “be watching closely” to see the specifics of the plan and ensure it meets its goals.