By Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t
Emails released late Monday by the US Justice Department show the White House hired a well-known Republican operative to handle damage control in the aftermath of the US attorney scandal.
Mark McKinnon, a heavyweight strategist whose primary company, Maverick Media Inc., did almost $170 million in business with the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign, appears to have been hired by Peter Wehner, director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, which “plans, develops, and coordinates a long-range strategy for achieving presidential priorities,” and “conducts research and assists in message development,” according to the White House web site. Wehner worked with McKinnon in an official capacity, corresponding through McKinnon’s company email account. It is unknown whether McKinnon was paid for his work.
McKinnon also serves as the vice chairman of Public Strategies Inc., a corporate public relations firm that is staffed primarily by political campaign strategists.