Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's senior campaign strategist Mark Penn has resigned following reports that his involvement in a public relations firm posed a conflict of interests.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that on 31 March Mr Penn, who is chief executive of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, met with the Colombian ambassador. The ambassador sought his help in pushing the Colombia Free Trade Agreement through Congress. However Senator Clinton is opposed to the agreement.
Mr Penn later apologized for meeting the Colombian ambassador, calling it an error of judgment. The Colombian government responded by firing the Burson-Marsteller public relations firm, saying Mr Penn's response demonstrated "a lack of respect to Colombians".
Free trade agreements are a sensitive issue in US politics, since many voters believe they lead to the loss of American jobs.
Source: Radio Netherlands
A statement from Hillary Clinton's campaign website about Mark Penn
After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Strategist of the Clinton Campaign; Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign.
Geoff Garin and Howard Wolfson will coordinate the campaign's strategic message team going forward. --- Source: Hillaryclinton.com
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