Hacked email suggests Donna Brazile leaked question to Hillary Clinton campaign ahead of CNN primary debate

Oliver Darcy

DNC interim chair Donna Brazile appeared to have leaked a question to Hillary Clinton's campaign in advance of a CNN Democratic primary debate in March, hacked emails published by WikiLeaks on Monday revealed.

"One of the questions directed to HRC tomorrow is from a woman with a rash," Brazile emailed John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman, and Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director.

Brazile added: "Her family has lead poison and she will ask what, if anything, will Hillary do as president to help the ppl of Flint."

That exact question was not asked the next night at the debate in Flint, Michigan. But Mikki Wade, a public housing program manager who subsequently said in an interview that her son had developed a rash from the contaminated water, questioned Clinton about the situation with the water in Flint.

"If elected president, what course will you take to regain my trust in government?" Wade asked.

See Clinton and Sanders at a Democratic debate:

In October, another WikiLeaks email suggested that Brazile leaked a question to Clinton in advance of a CNN town-hall event in Ohio.

Brazile denied doing so, but an email later revealed she had the exact wording of the question from TV One moderator Roland Martin. CNN suggested Martin was perhaps whom Brazile obtained the question from.

"I'll send a few more," Brazile promised in an email at the time. "Though some questions Roland submitted."

At the time of the debate and town hall, Brazile was a CNN contributor and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

CNN spokesperson Lauren Pratapas said in a statement provided to Business Insider that CNN "never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate."

"We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor," Pratapas said.

A spokesperson for the DNC did not respond to a request for comment.

Brazile later replaced Debbie Wasserman Schultz as interim chair of the DNC following revelations from WikiLeaks over the summer that the Democratic Party apparatus was tipping the scales against Clinton's primary challenger, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

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