Thread by @The_War_Economy

"As that was happening, through late August and into the fall, the administration was preoccupied with making sure that it didn’t appear to be attempting to tip the scales in favour of Clinton, the Democrat nominee who had been Obama’s first secretary of state."

"That fear was enough to sideline Ben Rhodes, one of Obama’s longest serving staffers and the person in charge of crafting the White House’s national security communications strategy, from meetings about the potential response against Russia."

"His close friendship with Jake Sullivan, formerly deputy chief of staff in Clinton’s State Department and at the time a senior member of the campaign, prompted fears that his presence could be seen as a back channel to Clinton."

buzzfeednews.com/article/hayesb…