Although he has been one of the Clintons longest-serving friends, advisers and media defenders, Washington lawyer Lanny Davis did plenty of gushing before asking then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a favor in an message that has now become public as part of the email scandal.
“The honest to goodness truth is: Aside from [wife] Carolyn, my four children, and my immediate family, I consider you to be the best friend and the best person I have met in my long life,” Mr. Davis wrote Mrs. Clinton in an email asking her to talk to a reporter on his behalf. “You know that from the dedication and appreciation of you I have always felt and expressed to you over four decades. So that is why your comments would mean a lot to me, even if just a written statement.”
Mrs. Clinton responded she’d have one of her top liaisons at State, Cheryl Mills, check with an ethics lawyers and get back to him with an answer.
But just a day later, Mr. Davis decided to retract his request for a favor. The reason?
After thinking about it, the experienced crisis manager decided it might not look so good for a Cabinet officer to be vouching for a registered foreign agent whose clients over the years have hailed from such controversial locations as Equatorial Guinea, Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Honduras.
“As soon as I wrote last email, I reverted to my old role as your crisis manager and worrier about you, read the word ’optics’ I suddenly felt – oops,” Mr. Davis wrote. “I am registered under FARA for one or more foreign governments or businesses. I don’t think it would look right. I want to avoid any even slight chance of misperception. So let’s not chance it.”
Then came some more fawning: “How can I describe what a great friend you are….? I can’t,” Mr. Davis wrote.
Mrs. Clinton, in her emailed response, thanked Mr. Davis “for looking out for me, my friend” and she said she would direct Ms. Mills to stand down.
Mr Davis, who has written frequently in the past for The Washington Times, didn’t respond to a request by email for comment
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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