A leaked memo attributed to top Trump campaign co-managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles warning all staff to not talk to the press unless specifically authorized, under threat of termination, is a warning sign of a troubled campaign according to political experts.
Calling it a "NEW leak," Puck News senior political correspondent Tara Palmeri broke the story and posted the email (embedded below) to social media Wednesday evening.
"There must be a hot story in the works..." she surmised.
"Nothing says a campaign is in disarray quite like a Trump campaign staffer leaking an email about campaign leaks," noted Democratic strategist Matt McDermott.
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Over the weekend a top Trump campaign volunteer wrote in an internal message, “the campaign has determined that New Hampshire is no longer a battleground state,” meaning the Trump campaign does not see that state as in play, or likely winnable. That memo was leaked and the volunteer is no longer with the campaign. Trump, according to The New Republic, was furious. The campaign denied the claim.
"Campaign in crisis," remarked The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson on Palmeri's report.
"Lots of people in right wing circles being warned by lawyers and bosses not to speak to the press right now. Journalists are trying to join dots. We’ll see how far they get," observed media consultant David Clinch.
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Whether the memo warning against leaks was forward-looking or hindsight, it comes in the same day as a massive U.S. Dept. of Justice indictment. That bombshell includes allegations that several top pro-MAGA influencers with millions of followers were covertly and unwittingly paid by a Russia-funded media company in the U.S., as part of a Kremlin disinformation campaign to influence voters in the November election, in support of the Trump campaign.
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Evan Gold commented: "Probably just advising them not to wave their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent by talking to the press (even on background) ... Not like they're worried about the Russian interference investigation or anything."
"This is the political equivalent of Battening down the hatches," declared Latino GOP political consultant Mike Madrid via social media. When asked to explain his comment, Madrid remarked, "The Russian story has long legs and a lot of people are gonna get sucked up in it. Everyone on the Trump campaign will be one-person removed from the people involved - or involved themselves. This could rip a campaign apart."
See the memo below or at this link.
NEW leak: Trump's co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles warn staff in internal email to stop talking to the press less than an hour ago, with the threat of termination. There must be a hot story in the works... pic.twitter.com/Buob6psJ5z
— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) September 4, 2024
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