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

[S1m0n]

God, I hope he doesn't have to resign.On January 6, 2006, the New York Times reported on a secret Pentagon study that found that as many as 80 percent of the Marines who had been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor.lease, God, don't make him resign.

Stay and bleed.

[suigeneris]

LOL!

[FreedomLoverX]

Yes - he won't do it again - for at least a couple months when Hillary the LIAR is out of the race. Why won't a single Hillary supporter address this without pointing fingers? Is not one of you brave enough to EVER face the truth?

"Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation – one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman’s 17-year career.

Why?

'Because she was a liar,' Zeifman said in an interview last week. 'She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.'"

[ChimpmasterDJ]

"Because she was a liar," Zeifman said in an interview last week. 'She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.'"

I guess she hasn't improved in the intervening years. Still the same old Hillary!

[Seattlelite]

The thing Penn should be apologizing for his performance as a campaign manager. Hillary should be asking for a refund.

[KimberlyKay]

Mark Penn currently represents the Columbian government and Blackwater, among others, as well as Senator Clinton. Senator Clinton should have demanded he end this conflict of interest YESTERDAY or fired him.

[colleen2]

How much is Penn getting paid for this fiasco?

[klondiker]

That's not something you apologize for (it's not a gaffe). It's something you don't do!!

[Sylmason]

You are just like clinton.

[klondiker]

1. Which Clinton?

2. Doesn't matter. I would take it as a compliment to be compared to both Clintons.

3. Did you even read my comment properly?

[PhoenixtheUndying]

Let's see, Obama's surrogate may have spoken to a Canadian official but its denied all around. But Clinton's chief strategist is arguing for the trade deals the candidate he represents is supposedly fighting. Uf that's not an issue, U don't know what is. If I were against the columbian FTA I wouldn't hire its lobbyist to represent me, especially if he was also lobbying for big tobacco and people who are anti-union. Think, how likely is it that someone would take the time to elect a candidate truly dedicated to cutting off his source of income when that candidate stops paying? Then there's the context of those meetings Clinton attended in support of NAFTA as first lady, according to her schedules. He's doing this meeting while Clinton is campaigning in Pensyl-frickin-vania! That's horrid judgment. And hiring him in the first place doesn't speak well of clinton's reasoning either.

[KimberlyKay]

Actually, Senator Clinton's campaign reached out to the Canadians to tell them to take Senator Clinton's objections to NAFTA with a grain of salt. This info. came out of the mouth of Ian Brodie, Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada.

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=n0305132A&source=srch

I thought you might like to know.

[JoesGarage]

Penn's firm also advised / prepped Erik Prince--founder of Blackwater--prior to his congressional testimony.

[stonepier]

I hope the voters in Pennsylvania are suitably impressed.

[victoriajubilee]

I hope the voters of Pennslayvania are well informed on this ,many of them are not like you and I. They get their info from the 6pm evening news ,which will probaly not carry the story . It is up to us to make sure they are informed .

[kellygrrrl]

This is a huge reflection on Clinton, and she should know it.
She needs to get rid of these Rove-like team members.
She should just hire the Marketing Firm that's doing the ads for Target. They can make even a toaster look cool.

[stonepier]

Yeah, "Penn's meetings were not connected to the campaign" just like Wright's sermons weren't connected to Obama's campaign. Deal with it, Hillary.

[ChuckIgnorris]

is the clinton campaign going to coin another few terms: "mr. penn shouldn't be held responsible, he's human after all which may come as a revelation to some...he was tired and he simply mistraveled to a foreign country to misagree on a nafta-like free-trade agreement while his other employer miscampaigned against it"?

[iPolitics]

Clintons=forked tongue

[TiffShelton]

So let me get this straight. The chief strategist and pollster of a very important presidential candidate leaves for a couple of days to go and pursuit a trade deal that his candidate allegedly doesn’t approve. All of this is done without said chief strategist and said candidate ever discussing the trip?

That’s insult to my intelligence.

Other than Hillaryites, does anyone buy this?

[sebocd]

Hillary probably thought Penn was just on "a mule-run" toget some coke>

[3billis811]

Eeee-haaawww!!!

[PrdAmerican]

Granted, I haven't seen the news...but if this DOES NOT get the play that the Canada fiasco did then we will have confirmation that it's CLinton biased, or that the MSM are just cowering before the empress.

I don't by it one F'ing bit....first she LIED about CANADA/NAFTA....her campaign said, "take it with a grain of salt..." not Obama....and now, union buster Penn is down south w/out clinton's knowing? If anyone buys that, then by all means, I have some swamp land to offer you in florida.

[PrdAmerican]

giving the columbians the ol'e wink wink huh.

[TiffShelton]

Why does he owe anyone an apology for this?

No way do I believe that Hillary didn’t know about this and sanction it.

[Teri]

you're as stupid as she is! of course, she knew what was happening. she knows everything and is a liar and made $109M in 7 years. she wants more money hence the need to be president. look at what they gave to charity? a measly % of what she made. may chelsea needed a new face.

[TiffShelton]

Did you read my post before you decided to insult me?

Try to keep up, honey.

[cls105]

damn double negatives ;)

[eurydice]

Ooooooooooooooops!