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.
Yeh, Right! This has a familiar odor.
Wow! That is an interesting piece of news. I think the only thing that will result from this is that Hillary Clinton and her supporters will not bully Barack Obama supporters into voting for her. In the end, when she steals the nomination, we’ll probably look at the lesser of two evils.
At this point, McCain looks like a saint compared to Hillary Clinton, so I’ll let you guess who will have the upper hand.
That said, I hope the American people have enough intelligence to realize that Barack Obama has a different message than Reverend Wright, Hillary Clinton, or John McCain. Yes, I think all three of the other individuals should be put in the same basket because they represent the politics of the past.
i’m just waiting to see what the clinton supporters pull out of their bag of DIRTY TRICKS NEXT
you really think reynolds wouldn’t do that to hurt obama? Pahleeeeeeze. You are dreaming. It was completely done now to hurt obama. Very obvious.
And the spin cycle continues, i was wondering how long the media was going to take to somehow put blame on Hillary one way or the other. Yes, Hillary directed Obama to choose Trinity Church and Wright as his spiritual advisor for 20 years. Yes, Hillary directed Obama to defend his pastor during his speech on race. If there is anything else Obama can do to put his foot in his mouth, by all means you make sure he takes no responsibility for it and make sure you blame Hillary. PATHETIC!!
Convoluted conspiracy theroy? Please! Hillary and her backers have taken lies and ugly, unethical, campaigning to a new level. Why would anyone not think there was a connection between Barbara Reynolds involvement in bringing Wright in to speak and the Clinton campaign’s chance to take full advantage of it. Hillary and her people want to do as much damage as they can to a fine man just so Hillary can win. Obviously for Hillary it doesn’t matter how sneaky you are, who you run over, or how many lies you have to tell to destroy someone enough to get what you want. I could not stomach her winning the Democratic nomination. I would be ashamed to have her as a president. As for Barbara Reynolds, I hope whatever Hillary promised her is enough. I hope she can sleep at night.
If this is true….oh well. Obama’s supporters have been dogging Chelsea about Monica. All is fair in love and politics
Why in the world would you give a forum to a KNOWN racist, bigot such as the Rev. Wright?????
You can’t blame him for accepting your invitation, but you can certainly blame yourself for for providing the opportunity!
Stop trying to accuse others, Hillary or McCain supporters, for this disgusting performance! Obama defended this man before, allowed him to marry him and baptise his children and then after being faced with his racist words a month ago still defended him.
Your organization and those involved are as trashy as the speaker!
That is a typical Clintonian move, devious! She is a good follower and has learned to do dirt from the masters, Bill and Hillary.
if you want to find dirt look for a clinton. either one will do