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John Podesta Hates David Brock, Continued

Podesta on Brock: 'Crazy is as crazy does'

David Brock
David Brock / AP
October 24, 2016

New emails released by Wikileaks on Monday revealed more evidence that top Hillary Clinton insiders see David Brock as both "crazy" and a "nut bar."

Previous emails reported on by the Washington Free Beacon showed that Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta went to great lengths to avoid meeting with Brock in person and that he wanted him to "chill out" during Clinton's primary battle with Bernie Sanders.

New emails show that Podesta thinks that Brock is legitimately "crazy."

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Podesta was emailed a Politico report last February detailing Brock's sudden decision to resign from the Priorities USA Action Super PAC. Brock quit the group complaining that it was actively working to hurt fundraising efforts of his other groups, Media Matters and American Bridge.

"As Forrest Gump might say crazy is as crazy does," said Podesta in reference to Brock's decision.

Two days later, when Podesta was asked by a New York Times reporter about the rift between Brock and Priorities USA, he responded by saying that the conflict was "mostly about Brock's eccentricities shall we say."

Podesta's frustrations with Brock remained a year later, especially after he surprised the Clinton campaign with an attack on Bernie Sanders' health.

Podesta explained in an email to Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, that he was "pissed" that the campaign's response team gave Brock time to "walk [the attack] back on his own" and that he never did it.

"Yes pissed," wrote Podesta. "Held by our response team that wanted to let him walk it back on his own so three hours later after he still had not done it, we are characterized as having a belated response."

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Tanden was sympathetic with Podesta's frustrations.

"Trusting David Brock probably doesn't make a lot of sense," she wrote. "I mean I hope people get he's kind of a nut bar."

The emails were posted online by Wikileaks. The U.S. director of national intelligence and the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security have accused "Russia’s senior-most officials" of hacking and leaking emails posted to Wikileaks and other sites in order to influence the 2016 election.