Vice President-elect Joe Biden made a plea to supporters Friday to help retire the debt of incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Our campaign pledged to help Sen. Hillary Clinton — one of the vital members of our team and our future secretary of state — retire her campaign debt,” Biden wrote in an e-mail sent to supporters of the Barack Obama campaign. “That's the money her campaign owes to the vendors across the country that make our political process possible.”
At the end of October, Clinton still owed over $7.5 million from her Democratic primary run. She only has limited time to retire the debt as she may not raise funds once she is confirmed as secretary of state.
While Obama had vowed to help his former foe retire her campaign debt, he asked little of his supporters to help Clinton pay down the sum during the general election. Biden, though, made a strong pitch Friday.
“Barack and I had the deepest respect for Hillary as an opponent on the campaign trail. Her undeniable intellect, talent and passion strengthened Barack as a candidate and tested our movement for change,” Biden wrote. “We welcome Hillary as a partner in our administration, and I hope you will show your support by helping Barack fulfill our campaign promise.”
“I saw your generosity and commitment to this team throughout the election, and I know we can do it,” he continued. “Will you make a contribution of $100 or more now to retire Hillary's campaign debt?”
In an e-mail earlier this week, former President Bill Clinton made a similar plea to supporters of his wife’s campaign. That e-mail, however, was not distributed to Obama’s massive e-mail list.
If Clinton is unable to retire her debt before becoming the Obama administration’s top diplomat, she may still be able to clear her books by allowing others to raise funds on her behalf or by petitioning her vendors and the Federal Election Commission to forgive her debt. She may also allow the debts to linger until after she leaves office.
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