PRESS RELEASE
LaRouche: Plotters Named by The Scotsman in the `End Hillary's Candidacy' Coup Should Either Confess, or Repudiate It!
April 14, 2008 (EIRNS)—This release was issued today by the Lyndon LaRouche Political Action Committee (LPAC).
American statesman Lyndon LaRouche demanded today that those Democrats named in the April 13 Sunday Scotsman piece by Chris Stephen, describing a "coup" attempt against Hillary Clinton's candidacy, either "confess, or repudiate the charges."
The Scotsman reported that "former President Jimmy Carter and Al Gore have already held high-level discussions about delivering the message that she [Clinton] must stand down for the good of the Democrats," and that they will act "in sequence, or possibly together" in a joint endorsement of Obama's candidacy.
Further, the article implies that a Carter-Gore visit to Clinton is being considered "by the higher echelons of the Democrats," and is being "masterminded in Congress," where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have called on superdelegates to hold "an unofficial congress in early June to anoint a winner."
Today, former Vice President Al Gore's spokesman Kalee Kreider initially emailed LaRouche PAC that the Scotsman article was "just completely false." In a second email Ms. Kreider added that Al Gore has asked The Scotsman to retract the article, and included a full response to seven questions which LaRouche PAC submitted to Vice-President Gore or his spokesperson, the complete text of which appears below. Ms. Kreider said that former Vice-President Gore and former President Jimmy Carter had not held discussions about asking Hillary Clinton to withdraw her candidacy, and that they had not decided to act "possibly together, or in sequence" to that end.
Former President Jimmy Carter's press office said that they were aware of the Scotsman article, but have not responded to LaRouche PAC's inquiries.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's spokesman Jim Manley told LaRouche PAC that he would "have no idea what they [The Scotsman] are talking about." Manley noted, "Senator Reid is on record as suggesting that superdelegates should make a decision as quickly as possible after June 1."
So far, the offices of former President Carter, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama—the beneficiary of the alleged coup against the Clinton candidacy—have not responded to LaRouche PAC.
Appended is the second, full response from former Vice-President Al Gore's spokesperson Kalee Kreider:
"We have asked The Scotsman to retract the article. The answers to numbers 1-2 are no. I don't know the answer to 3 because we don't know of any meeting. We don't know the answer to 4 because we don't know of such meetings. We are not involved in number 5 and don't know of any such sessions. We don't have any comment on 6 or 7."
Below are the questions LaRouche PAC asked. Portions in quotations are from The Scotsman article by Chris Stephen:
- Have Vice-President Gore and former President Carter already held discussions about delivering the message to Hillary Clinton that she should step down from the Democratic Presidential nomination race?
- Have Vice-President Gore and Carter decided to "act, possibly together, or in sequence" to that end?
- Were others present at these "high-level discussions," such as Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Reid, or others? If Vice-President Gore and President Carter are coordinating action, is their action also being coordinated with Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid?
- Who are the "higher" echelons of the Democrats Party, who are divided between a private visit to Ms. Clinton to deliver the message to withdraw, versus a joint press conference between Vice-President Gore and President Carter to endorse Sen. Obama?
- Is Vice-President Gore involved in the plan being "masterminded" in Congress, to have an "unofficial congress in early June to anoint a winner"?
- Does Vice-President Gore think Ms. Clinton should drop out if she does not win Pennsylvania decisively? Or that a candidate should be chosen after the primaries end on June 3? Does he approve of the "superdelegate congress" idea?
- Is there any comment Vice-President Gore would like to make on the Democratic nomination race, or the article in The Scotsman?
