Hilarious White House Memo In 1995: “Hillary Could Speak To Young Women Through Internet”

Dennis Van Tine/UPPA/ZUMAPRESS.com

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On Friday, Bill Clinton’s presidential library released 4,000 previously secret documents from his time as president. An August 31, 1995, memo titled “HRC Media Possibilities” written by Lisa Caputo, an aide to Hillary Clinton, discusses the various venues through which to promote the First Lady. They include meeting with the editors of women’s and liberal magazines, sitting for interviews pegged to the Clintons’ 20th anniversary and the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt, and even making an appearance on the popular ABC sitcom Home Improvement. (“I know this may sound like a wild idea, but I think it is an interesting one to discuss.”)

The otherwise sober memo takes an unexpectedly funny turn, however, when the Internet comes up. Or, as Caputo refers to it, “Internet.” As in: “As Karen has said, Internet has become a very popular mode of communication. Hillary could speak to young women through Internet.”

Here’s an except from the memo:

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We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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