B-M Spins Line that Penn Is Mightier than the Sword

After Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign announced that Burson-Marsteller (B-M) CEO Mark Penn was no longer its chief strategist, the PR firm distributed a set of talking points for "clients and staff." The memo states that "it is more important than ever for us as leaders of this firm to communicate that we are more focused than ever on achieving our clients' goals." The memo claims that B-M lost the $300,000-a-year contract with the Colombian government because "our work for them was reported in the media." However, the Embassy stated that the contract was canceled because of Penn's comment that it "was an error in judgment" to meet with the Colombian ambassador, which they believed demonstrated "a lack of respect to Colombians." The memo states that Penn "will continue to advise the Clintons and the campaign" but that no longer being "chief strategist" will "afford him more time" to advise B-M clients.