In March of 2015, Clinton campaign officials envisioned using an appearance with comedian Larry Wilmore at a Clinton Foundation event to deflect from Hillary’s email controversy.
“Wilmore could sit down with WJC [William Jefferson Clinton] and Chelsea and say something like ‘Thanks for having me here, it’s a pleasure. And I should tell you, I just emailed HRC (I hear she’s a big emailer), and asked if she’d join as well. (Laughter),’ writes Nick Merrill to other campaign officials. “Then cue HRC walking onstage to applause. She could sit down, take advantage of the light-hearted environment to make things serious for a moment, and give a version of the statement, maybe with a follow-up or two, and then they would have the rest of the conversation. It would be just light-hearted enough while giving her the opportunity to address this seriously, be a little conciliatory as discussed…Goal would be to cauterize this just enough so it plays out over the weekend and dies in the short term…It might be crazy, but it might also be the one-two punch we need right now.”
