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McAuliffe served as chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and was a leading fundraiser for her husband's presidential bids. His opponents have sought to portray him as a political moneyman to a Clinton White House that allowed big donors stay overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom and attend special coffees with the president. "If it turns out that (McAuliffe) got preferential treatment while she was secretary of state, hmmm. That could be a lot more messy than anyone is thinking right now," said Curt Anderson, a Republican strategist. "If this turns out to be some sort of visa for sale scheme while she was secretary of state, are we to believe it is just a coincidence that they had her brother involved?" Hillary Clinton is planning a fundraising reception for McAuliffe at her Washington home on Sept. 30, headlining what would be her first political event since leaving the State Department, according to two Democratic officials familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the event. In New York, Abedin's decision to stick by her husband after the latest sexting allegations drew comparisons by Republicans to Hillary Clinton's decision to support her husband during reports of infidelities, and the president's later impeachment by the House
-- and acquittal by the Senate -- over his relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton's allies have privately expressed their displeasure with Weiner for his behavior. Traveling in Africa, Bill Clinton told CNN that they had not been involved in the mayor's race "and they understood that from the beginning. There are too many people running for mayor who have been my supporters, who supported her for senator, her for president."
Republicans have charged Democrats with hypocrisy for not condemning
Weiner's behavior, along with San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, a former
Democratic congressman accused of making inappropriate advances toward
several women. Hillary Clinton, who was in San Diego on Wednesday for a
private speech, has not discussed either case publicly. Republicans this past week charged that television networks were propping
up a potential Clinton campaign as they criticized plans by CNN to develop a
documentary film on the former first lady and NBC to air a four-hour
miniseries. The Republican National Committee said it would bar the networks
from participating in future GOP debates if they proceed with the projects. Even some liberal voices have sided with the RNC. David Brock, the
founder of Media Matters, urged the networks to cancel the programs, saying
the timing "raises too many questions about fairness and conflicts of
interest ahead of the 2016 election."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A sexting scandal in the New York City mayoral race and a federal investigation that's roiling the Virginia governor's race are recalling politically problematic chapters of her past.
