Press Club Chief Disputes Notion That Wright Appearance Was Scheduled to Hurt Obama
The president of the National Press Club is disputing suggestions that the woman who facilitated Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.’s speaking engagement Monday did so out of a desire to hurt Barack Obama politically.
A New York Daily News columnist wrote Tuesday that club member Barbara Reynolds, who as head of the speaker’s committee was the club’s point person for Wright’s appearance, is actually a Hillary Clinton supporter. The opinion piece raised the possibility that Reynolds had ulterior motives in bringing Wright to Washington since the pastor “couldn’t have done more damage to Barack Obama’s campaign if he had tried.”
But National Press Club President Sylvia Smith said she doubts politics had anything to do with it.
“I can’t imagine that it would have been (to hurt Obama),” she said. “That would be a pretty convoluted conspiracy theory.”
Smith said Reynolds actually suggested inviting Wright as a speaker two years ago, but that the club declined since he “wasn’t newsworthy.”
She said she thinks somebody other than Reynolds suggested inviting Wright this time around, and that Reynolds was only assigned as point person because she has connections with Wright and his Trinity United Church of Christ. She stressed that Reynolds was not the deciding factor in the invitation, and that Wright was brought in because he was making news.
Daily News columnist Errol Louis wrote that Reynolds — a journalist and minister who teaches at the Howard University School of Divinity — claimed in a blog on her Reynolds News Service Web site that she voted for Clinton in the Maryland primary as “my way of saying thank you” to Clinton and her husband for the Bill Clinton presidency.
“I don’t know if Reynolds’ eagerness to help Wright stage a disastrous news conference with the national media was a way of trying to help Clinton,” he wrote. “But it’s safe to say she didn’t see any conflict between promoting Wright and supporting Clinton.”
The column was swiftly picked up by bloggers who repeated the assertion that Reynolds was somehow in cahoots with Clinton.
Clinton’s campaign has not responded to a request for comment.
The personal blog where Reynolds expressed her Clinton support could not be found online as of Tuesday afternoon, and Smith said she doesn’t know whom Reynolds supports.
“It doesn’t matter (which candidate she supports),” Smith said. “I do not believe Barbara Reynolds has a political agenda … Even if she did, he’s a newsmaker that we’d want at our podium. It’s irrelevant.”
Reynolds did not return repeated requests for comment from FOXNews.com.
Wright’s used his raucous appearance Monday to taunt reporters and claim the controversy surrounding him was an attack on the black church. It prompted Obama to denounce Wright’s statements Tuesday as “ridiculous” and “appalling.”
Though Reynolds primary allegiances are not clear, she has expressed strong support for Wright and his church. In a blog entry on her Web site from March 17, Reynolds condemned the media for “brutally” trashing him and urged Obama not to “burn the bridges” in distancing himself from his former pastor.
“Pastor Jeremiah Wright is no weird, anti-American hater and separatist cult leader. He loved his country enough to serve in the U.S. Marines … the Jeremiah I know is a sought-after preacher in seminaries across the country,” she wrote.
Click here to read the column on Wright in The New York Daily News.
FOXNews.com’s Judson Berger contributed to this report.
Because of these types of dirty campaigning Hillary and republicans will provide the most fun to people like me who would love to watch both sides destroy each other during general election. Maybe then, Americans will wake up and put an end to both parties. I cannot wait to vote for Obama/Bloomberg as the leaders of a new independent party that will take the presidency during 2008 & 2012 and put this country on the right track.
I wonder how Rev. Wright feels now that the truth is out. The press wasn’t interested in hearing his side of the story, they only used him to try to sabotage the DNC nomination for Obama.
And of course neither Clinton nor Reynolds could be reached for comment, how politically convenient.
There is little doubt in my mind that the Clinton Machine is behind attempts toward a downfall of Obama, including the Wright stuff - the most powerful yet.
After hearing him talk the other day, I am surprised that anyone would belong to his church.
It is not surprising to have someone whining about this - the racial card will be played AGAIN.
And OBAMA camp will whine on. If you sleep with a dog, you get fleas - Live with it. Obama said Wright was fair game.
What concerns me is that no one is on the news talk shows are reporting this conspiracy theory!! The cable news shows are full of the Wright Debacle but won’t'question why this supposedly respected Press Club would stoop so low just to have a Clinton supporter pay back a favor!!
And you say this political race is not about race? What’s going to happen is, that all of the black supporters of Obama (if he does not win the Democratic nomination) will not vote for Hillary or anyone else. This smells to high heaven!!!! I am one of those black supporters of Obama and will not, under any circumstances, vote for a devious and untruthful person such as Hillary Clinton!! I am sure that most black voters feel the same.
Obama created this situation. He got into bed with the leader of one of the biggest churches in Chicago to further his political career and now he is paying the price. He talks constantly about the “old” politics yet it appears that he has been playing that game since long ago when he started pursuing his amibitions for political office. His chickens have come home to roost.
Yes, it would be a nasty campaign tactic and that is exactly how the Clinton’s political machine does business. Of course the Clinton campaign was behind this engagement just as they are responsible for bringing the Pastor into this election. Please remember that Hillary was aware of Trinity Church as she and Bill invited Rev. Wright to the White House when Bill was facing impeachment for lying under oath. The Clinton’s denial of bringing Rev. Wright into this campaign would not even be on the radar for people who are able to put their hand on the bible, swear to tell truth and then lie.
I didn’t believe there was a Clinton connection until today, on MSNBC a Clinton spokeswoman was asked “has the Clinton campaign had any contact with Rev. Wright” The answer: “Not that I am aware of”…odd indeed.
Regarding Obama’s 20 year relationship and the oft repeated “he had to have known” -Tamron Hall MSNBC has stated several times that the Trinity Church is ‘mainstream’ she said she lived in Chicago for 10 years, attended the church 5 or 6 times, and heard nothing offensive and that long time members she spoke to heard nothing controversial during sermons and at least one member who attends regularly was shocked by Wright’s recent statements.
Thank you Hillary for giving Obama the opportunity to distance himself from Rev. Wright. It shows time and time again how the mud that you throw at Obama ends up hurting your opportunities to be our nominee.