Democratic Candidates Were Told Not to Pledge Support for Black Lives Matter Policies, Hack Reveals

By Nadia Prupis / Common Dreams

Newly leaked documents show Democratic campaign officials advised U.S. House of Representatives candidates not to explicitly support “concrete policy solutions” proposed by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and to limit the number of activists invited to campaign appearances.

The Hill reports on memos leaked by hacker Guccifer 2.0 in the latest breach of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC):

Among the advised tactics, Democrats were counseled to engage with Black Lives Matter activists and “listen to their concerns” but to do so at “personal or small group meetings.”

“If approached by BLM activists, campaign staff should offer to meet with local activists,” the memo says. “Invited BLM attendees should be limited.”

The memo seems to have been issued after Black Lives Matter activists confronted three Democratic presidential candidates—now-nominee Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley—at their respective campaign rallies and town halls.

“While there has been little engagement with House candidates, candidates and campaign staff should be prepared,” the document states. “Be a partner and lead from behind.”

“BLM needs partners to achieve their agenda and they want to be a part of the conversation,” it continues. “However, BLM activists don’t want their movement co-opted by the Democrat Party. They are leary [sic] of politicians who hijack their message to win campaigns.”

In a statement issued Wednesday, DCCC national press secretary Meredith Kelly said, “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee highly respects and values the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement. In less than two years, BLM has evolved from three words into a political force that is changing and waking our nation. At the DCCC, we highly encourage our candidates to not only embrace the importance of this movement, but to meet with and listen to community activists to partner social change.”