Hillary Clinton's deal with the DNC reportedly wouldn't have affected the Democratic primaries
- A deal between the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign allowed the campaign to influence hiring and spending decisions for the party.
- The memo stated that the agreement would only relate to the general election, and not in the Democratic Primary.
A deal between the cash-strapped Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign allowed the campaign to influence hiring and spending decisions only during the general election, and not in the primaries, NBC News reported Friday.
The 2015 memo said that for Hillary for America's (HFA) help in fundraising, the campaign would be "consulted and have joint authority over strategic decisions over the staffing, budget, expenditures, and general election related communications, data, technology, analytics, and research," according to NBC News. Clinton's campaign agreed to make a payment of $1.2 million to the party and would also provide a monthly allowance, the report continued.
The memo comes amid accusations made by former interim DNC chair Donna Brazile, who claims that the party tilted the presidential nomination process to favor Clinton, and shunned Sen. Bernie Sanders. Brazile, who is publishing a book about the alleged grievances, said that although the agreement was not illegal, it "sure looked unethical."
"If the fight had been fair, one campaign would not have control of the party before the voters had decided which one they wanted to lead," Brazile said. "This was not a criminal act, but as I saw it, it compromised the party's integrity."
In some cases, the DNC would have the final approval authority in the hiring of a staff member, but the decision would have to be made "between candidates acceptable to HFA," according to the agreement. One example included the hiring of a communications director from "one of two candidates previously identified as acceptable to HFA."
The memo also stated that the agreement was applicable only during general election and not the primaries, and also mentioned that the party could "enter into similar agreements with other candidates," NBC News reported.
"Nothing in this agreement shall be construed to violate the DNC's obligation of impartiality and neutrality through the Nominating process," the memo reportedly said. "All activities performed under this agreement will be focused exclusively on preparations for the General Election and not the Democratic Primary."