Mark Penn Apologizes For Colombia Free Trade Work

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist apologized Friday for meeting with Colombian officials pushing a free trade agreement that the presidential candidate opposes.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the strategist, Mark Penn, met Monday with Colombia's ambassador to the United States. Clinton advisers said Penn's meetings were not connected to the campaign, but part of his job as chief executive of the lobbying and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide.

But a Clinton adviser said the candidate was not happy to learn about the meeting, and Penn issued a statement expressing regrets.

"The meeting was an error in judgment that will not be repeated and I am sorry for it," Penn said in a written statement. "The senator's well-known opposition to this trade deal is clear and was not discussed."

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said the candidate has not discussed the Colombian deal with Penn.

"Senator Clinton's opposition to the Colombian Trade Deal is clear and she will be voting against it," Singer said.

The Colombian government is trying to secure congressional passage of the agreement signed in 2006 by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the Bush administration.

According to Justice Department filings, Colombia agreed last year to pay Burson-Marsteller $300,000 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 anti-narcotics program Plan Colombia.

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Clinton and her Democratic rival Barack Obama oppose the deal. Clinton told the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO this week that the United States needs new trade policies before it has new trade deals. "That includes no trade deal with Colombia while violence against trade unionists continues in that country," she said.

Penn's political consulting firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland, has been paid $10.8 million so far by Clinton's campaign.

Penn has come under criticism for other Burson-Marsteller clients, including tobacco giant Philip Morris and corporate clients accused of union-busting activity. While Penn says he does not personally work on any accounts that could be construed as anti-labor, labor leaders have publicly expressed concern about his involvement with the campaign.

Union leaders backing Obama criticized Penn's involvement with the Colombians. Change to Win called for Penn's resignation and Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa issued a statement that said Clinton's opposition to the Colombian agreement had been undermined.

"How can we trust that a President Hillary Clinton would stand strong against this trade deal when her top adviser is being paid by Colombia to promote it?" Hoffa asked.

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On the Net:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com

Comments

[ljsfolly]

Penn is the one who gets his millions from Clinton while the little guys who ran the business while she's running the campaign are not getting paid. Not best quality of humans.

[jayinma]

Really...

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist "apologized Friday for" meeting with Colombian officials pushing a free trade agreement that the presidential candidate opposes.

It's more like:

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief "apologist strategized Friday while" meeting with Colombian officials pushing a free trade agreement that the presidential candidate opposes.

Yuck.

[rosal]

People from Pennsylvania open your eyes. She fooled the people on Ohio, don't let her get away with it. Try to find out about Frank Giustra and Pacific Rubiales Energy.
The Clintons are sold to trade deals. Such hypocrisy!

[artfluzzy08]

Wow, I hope that the voters in Penn. will open their eyes to all the corruption the Clintons are involved in, and pay attention when they vote!

These people are disgusting.

[ChrisS13]

What corruption is she involved in Moron?

[UrsaMajority]

You just can't make this stuff up about Hillary sometimes. McCain and his pet lobbyists; Hillary and Mark Penn. Is it any wonder that she seems to be positioning herself as McCain's running mate?

[Grannysue]

There wasn't anything "free" about his lobbying for Columbia for their trade agreement, he got over 5 million from the Clintons and even more from Columbia, all the while dear old Billary is running around telling everyone how she is totally against this bill, and Yes, he's also the firm lobbying on behalf of BLACKWATER. What a bunch of suckers her supporters are. Can you say Hypocrite.

[maria1253]

Some past history on Joe Scarbourough
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/lori_klausutis.htm

[3billis811]

So, what, what did he do? Have an affair with her then end it? what do you think happend?

[ObamaSuperDelegate]

interesting

[harriscrl3]

This reinforce for me why we NEED change in Washington why we need new people in Washington rather than the same old people. These people have been there so long everybody knows everybody or the same people that they know its so INCESTOUS and I'm seeing more that this is part of the reason why NOTHING gets done. People have so much conflict of interest ties to this person heck even some of them cross parties. Its like one big CORRUPT mess.

Carol

[iamFrank]

More Clinton Dope.
During Bill Clinton's gubernatorial administration in the 1980's, he had first-hand experience with Colombian free trade. What was the real reason that Mark Penn attended this meeting and what was his true agenda on the Clinton's behalf?
The London Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Prichard writes, "Basil Abbott, a convicted drug pilot, says that he flew a Cessna 210 full of cocaine into Marianna, in eastern Arkansas, in the spring of 1982. The aircraft was welcomed by an Arkansas State Trooper in a marked police car. 'Arkansas was a very good place to load and unload' he said."
"The London Telegraph has obtained some of the first depositions in ex-CIA contract flyer Terry Reed's suit against Clinton's ex-security chief - and now a high- paid FEMA director - Buddy Young. According to the Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, "Larry Patterson, an Arkansas state trooper, testified under oath that there were 'large quantities of drugs being flown into the Mena airport, large quantities of money, large quantities of guns.' The subject was discussed repeatedly in Clinton's presence by state troopers working on his security detail, he alleged. Patterson said the governor 'had very little comment to make; he was just listening to what was being said.'"
Source: http://prorev.com/connex.htm

[3billis811]

What's up with reprinting that same jowel fat pic of Mark Penn? Doesn't huffpo have any other sweaty pig shots of this guy?

[UrsaMajority]

Well, you can try to clean him up -- what's the phrase: "lipstick on a pig"? Here's a picture he uses for promotional purposes for some book he wrote, and it ain't much better:

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/Paybarah-MarkPenn1V.jpg

[3billis811]

He has a "Charter member of NAMBLA" vibe to him, doesn't he?

[3billis811]

What does Mark Penn know about Brazillian She-Males? America needs to know, NOW!

[kettletop]

oops!
his Bad!
Guess he just misspoke.

[Housewife]

Talk about wolves in sheep's clothing. The Clintons are out there with their fake indignation about Obama's wink to NAFTA and the mother of all lobbyists is working for the Colombians. I also just heard on Hardball that Burston-Marstellar also represents Blackwater.

[KimberlyKay]

One of the biggest clients at Mark Penn's firm is Blackwater. Shouldn't this particular error in judgment be explored? This man should not be on any Democratic candidates campaign-- indeed, his former partner at his firm, Charlie Black, who is a top strategist for Senator McCain, has resigned his post with the lobbying firm. Senator Clinton's campaign keeps Mark Penn on staff and paying him millions -- why???

[Disparaged]

What? More Clinton "dope" - isn't that what Columbia noted for? Please see the following links!

http://prorev.com/connex.htm
http://prorev2.com/connex.htm

[kettletop]

To the first link, I say, So?
The second link went no where.
Hey, I have an idea.
Let's stick wtih criticizing the candidates and not dredge up old Bill Bashing.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons not to back Hillary Clinton.
You don't have to go there.

Both candidates should be judged on their own merits and character. Hillary so far has shown that she exagerrates and fails to respect her oppenent (didn't even listen to his speech on race so she wouldn't have to comment on it.)

[UrbanInterloper]

This article does not make it clear enough that Penn is or was being paid by the government of Colombia, he was not "lobbying Colombia" as the headline all over HuffPo incorrectly states. Penn was meeting was with his client, Colombia, to discuss lobbying the U.S.

By the way, this sort of reveals more about Clinton's stunning lack of judgment than anything in particular about a trade agreement. To choose Penn was profoundly dumb. She probably means exactly what she says about opposing the Colombia trade agreement in its current form; but what's more important--and something Clinton seems not to have considered--is that Penn's allegiance clearly lies with his full-time employer, Burson-Marsteller, a huge multinational company that had worldwide sales of $303 million back in 2000, and which will be around long after the confetti flies in November 2008. Clinton's few million to Penn this election cycle are chump change.

By the way, before Penn arrived at B-M, that company had huge contracts with the Mexican government to sell the U.S. on NAFTA. This isn't a new thing.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Burson-Marsteller

http://crocodyl.org/wiki/burson_marsteller

[colleen2]

"By the way, this sort of reveals more about Clinton's stunning lack of judgment than anything in particular about a trade agreement."

Indeed. Her advisors from Begala and Carville to Bruce Reed and Penn are some of the most disgusting men in DC. What's really peculiar is that they seem unable to deal effectively with the polls They've taken her startlingly high negatives and done everything possible to make them worse. It's as if they have come to believe their own bullshit. I think that the most interestinmgh aspect of the primary season thus far is the collapse of Bill Clinton's undeserved reputation as a political genius.

[3billis811]

The sick part is that the MSM will fully ignore this development.