A top Hillary Clinton aide on Sunday defended the campaign’s decision to invite billionaire Mark Cuban to Monday’s presidential debate.
{mosads}”Mark Cuban is a successful businessman. He believes in things like profit share to help get wages rising. I think he did that in some of his businesses,” Joel Benenson, Clinton’s chief strategist, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“I think it’s legitimate to have a businessperson sitting there who’s been advocating for you because of your economic policies.”
Benenson also pointed to businesspeople’s endorsements of the Democratic presidential nominee, saying Clinton has an economic plan that will help grow the economy and get incomes rising for working Americans.
He also attempted to contrast the economic policies of Clinton with those of her Republican rival, Donald Trump.
Benenson said the debate is for the American people.
Voters want to hear a substantive debate between both major-party nominees so they can make a decision about which candidate has the “experience, knowledge and judgment to implement plans that will make a real difference in their lives,” he said.
“That’s what Hillary Clinton’s going to be focusing on,” he said.
“Talking to the American people about their lives, what she’s going to do for them, how she’s going to get things done, that’ll help them get ahead.”
Cuban last week accepted an invitation from Clinton to the presidential debate.
Trump tweeted on Saturday in response to the news, saying that if “dopey Mark Cuban of failed Benefactor fame wants to sit in the front row, perhaps I will put Gennifer Flowers right alongside of him!”
Former President Bill Clinton testified under oath in 1998 that he had had a sexual affair with Flowers.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), Trump’s running mate, said Sunday that Flowers would not be attending the debate.