Erica Garner is slamming Hillary Clinton’s team over leaked emails that show they struggled with how to use the 2014 police killing of her father, Eric Garner, as part of their campaign.
In an email correspondence between campaign manager John Podesta and spokesman Nick Merril, the two discuss whether Garner’s death should be included in a planned New York Daily News op-ed by Clinton on gun violence. The piece was ultimately never published.
“I know we have Erica Garner issues but we don’t want to mention Eric at all? I can see her coming after us for leaving him out of the piece,” wrote Merrill.
The emails are part of a massive leak, hacked from the account of John Podesta, that was published and released by Wikileaks. The Clinton team has not commented or verified the authenticity of the emails.
Other staffers argued against using Eric Garner in the op-ed because he died from police brutality rather than gun violence — the point of the editorial.
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Erica Garner immediately took to twitter to express her frustration over the email, questioning what issues they would have with her and why the would want to even “use” her father:
I'm vey interested to know exactly what @CoreyCiorciari meant when he said " I know we have an Erica Garner problem" in the #PodestaEmails19
— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) October 27, 2016
Wouldnt yall like to know why the #Hillary campaign thought that I my objecting to them exploiting my dads death was a "problem" @mtaibbi https://t.co/i5cahlS6VZ
— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) October 27, 2016
I'm troubled by the revelation that you and this campaign actually discussed "using" Eric Garner … Why would you want to "use" my dad?
— officialERICA GARNER (@es_snipes) October 27, 2016
Erica Garner has been a tireless advocate since the death of her father, who lost his life when New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in an illegal chokehold during an arrest for selling cigarettes on the sidewalk. Although a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo in the death, the case is now in the hands of the Justice Department for additional consideration, according to reports released this week.
Garner appeared in an interview with WNET’s MetroFocus on Thursday, where she said she would continue fighting to ensure her father’s killer was brought to Justice. “I will fight this thing all the way ’til I see all the officers involved in my dad’s case arrested. I cannot accept anything less than these officers going to jail and I will fight until it happens.” Hear what else she ahd to say in the full interview below.