Pete Buttigieg Refuses To Give Timeline On Deciding To Open Private Fundraisers
As the Democratic presidential primary tightens, frontrunner candidate Elizabeth Warren recently called on rising Democratic star Pete Buttigieg to open his private fundraisers to reporters. She also took things a step further when she called on Buttigieg to shed light on the clients he worked with during his time at McKinsey, CNN reports.
HuffPost reporter Daniel Marans took to Twitter Friday to reveal a transcript of a conversation he had with Buttigieg. As the screenshots show, Marans pressed the South Bend, Indiana mayor about when he would be able to have a conversation about potentially opening his private fundraisers.
“Again, I don’t have a timeline for you,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg admitted that — as the candidate of his campaign — he could direct his staff to open the fundraisers. Marans then pressed Buttigieg why he hadn’t done so yet.
“There are a lot of considerations. And I’m thinking about it,” Buttigieg said, refusing to give any examples of such considerations.
Warren recently attacked Buttigieg for his private fundraisers and suggested that reporters should be able to hear what’s being discussed in them.
“Those doors shouldn’t be closed. And no one should be left to wonder what kind of promises are being made to the people who can pony up big bucks to be in the room.”
These are the transcripts of the key moments. After the latter set of questions about his fundraisers, Nina Smith ended the gaggle. pic.twitter.com/sJmOSRFKiQ
— Daniel Marans (@danielmarans) December 7, 2019
Per CNN, Buttigieg has released a timeline of his work at McKinsey, although it does not contain a detailed list of his clients. The presidential candidate claims that the nondisclosure agreement (NDA) between him and his former employer prevents him from doing so, although he reportedly authorized the consulting firm to “release the full list of clients I was assigned to serve.”
“Much of my work at McKinsey, including the names of clients served, is covered under a confidentiality agreement that I signed when I joined the firm,” Buttigieg said. “To date, the company has not agreed.”
Buttigieg worked for McKinsey from 2007 to 2010. Following his work at the consulting firm, Buttigieg made a failed bid for Indiana treasurer before becoming mayor of South Bend.
Warren’s attacks on Buttigieg came after the 37-year-old politician released a political ad that was critical of plans to make college tuition-free — a proposal that both Warren and Bernie Sanders back. In response, as The Inquisitr previously reported, Sanders’ Senior Campaign Adviser Jeff Weaver took aim at Buttigieg, calling him the “same old product” and saying that voters are ready for something different.
