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Leaked American Bridge Email Gives Talking Points to Attack America Rising as ‘Anti-Generosity’

October 11, 2016

Among John Podesta’s leaked emails is a 2014 message from American Bridge giving talking points for attacking America Rising, a PAC that produces opposition research and video against Democrats, as "anti-American business and anti-generosity."

American Bridge is a liberal super PAC founded by David Brock.

In the email sent on Sept. 23, 2014, to CTRFriendsFamily@americanbridge.org, former Hillary Clinton adviser Burns Strider called America Rising a "right-wing attack group" that was "at it again" with hits on Hillary Clinton and General Motors for their involvement with the Clinton Global Initiative. CTR stands for Correct The Record, a rapid-response firm founded by Brock to defend Clinton.

America Rising, Strider wrote, "came out swinging today against two core American values–American-owned businesses and the virtue of generosity."

A day before the email was sent, Business Insider reported on the "huge opposition research file on Clinton to reporters" as the annual CGI meeting in New York got underway that year.

Titled "Clinton Confab Complications," the research briefing declared, "As Clinton World Gathers In New York, Problems Loom Over Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign." It highlighted several issues Republicans think can hurt Clinton, including her ties to "heads of state, business leaders, and actors" and alleged "conflicts of interest," business dealings of some of her staffers, and potential progressive opposition to Clinton.

Other talking points in Strider’s email included:

• America Rising wants to defile the work of the Clintons so badly that they are willing to make fun of the American value of generosity and criticize General Motors, an American-owned company, for its support of the Clintons’ charitable work.

• The Clinton Global Initiative has helped improve the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries and has worked to secure $103 billion to spur innovative solutions to make the world a better place.

• The Clinton Global Initiative is nonpartisan and brings together the best minds from the government, business, nonprofit, and academic sectors throughout the globe to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.