Perkins Coie lawyer's 'push back' advice on Bernie Sanders is in emails revealed by WikiLeaks
Thousands of hacked Democratic National Committee emails revealed by WikiLeaks includes advice from a Perkins Coie lawyer on the need to “push back” at a fundraising allegation by the Bernie Sanders campaign.
Clinton campaign general counsel Marc Elias offered the advice after the Sanders campaign alleged the DNC was improperly using a joint fundraising committee intended for state races to benefit Hillary Clinton, report the National Law Journal (sub. req.), the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. Elias is chair of Perkins Coie’s political law practice.
“My suggestion is that the DNC put out a statement saying that the accusations [by] the Sanders campaign are not true,” he wrote. “Here, Sanders is attacking the DNC. … Just as the RNC pushes back directly on Trump over [his claims of a] ‘rigged system,’ the DNC should push back DIRECTLY at Sanders and say that what he is saying is false and harmful [to] the Democratic Party.”
According to the Washington Post, Elias’ email “would appear to suggest coordination between the DNC and Clinton campaign against Sanders in this particular case.”
Another Perkins Coie lawyer, partner Robert Bauer, is lead outside counsel to the DNC, Law.com (sub. req.) reports. The law firm has also represented DNC affiliates. According to Law.com, the recent email release “raises questions about whether Perkins Coie lawyers blurred the lines between its clients.”
