Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential campaign was bogged down with infighting, according to excerpts from Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign, an upcoming book written by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes.
Top ranking campaign officials were subject to attacks from both Hillary and former President Bill Clinton, according to an excerpt of the book published in the Hill.
During debate preparations after a shocking primary loss to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), strategist Jake Sullivan was the target of Hillary's frustrations after critiquing one of her mock answers.
"Every time the Yale lawyer and former high school debate champ opened his mouth, Hillary cut him off. 'That isn’t very good,' she’d say. 'You can do better.' Then she’d hammer him with a Bernie line," the excerpt says.
While Clinton and many of her aides reportedly believed that a lack of organizers, opposition to trade, and a variety of other factors led to her loss in Michigan, no one was willing to admit that Clinton had failed to adapt to a variety of problems brought to her attention before primary day.
The dysfunction and bickering were reportedly present long before Sanders began threatening her shot at the White House. While the public was focused on Clinton's email server, Hillary and Bill both believed the campaign was failing to push her policy driven message.
"Voters want to hear about Hillary’s plans for the economy, and you’re not making that happen. Now, do your damn jobs," former President Bill Clinton reportedly yelled during a conference call with top ranking officials.
According to the excerpt, Hillary closed the call, "'You heard him,' she admonished. 'Get it straight.'"
The book is being published by Crown, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC, and is scheduled for release on April 18.