RUTHFULLY YOURS

As Hillary Clinton prepares to relaunch her campaign at a set-piece campaign rally on New York City’s Roosevelt Island this weekend, Robby Mook, her wunderkind campaign manager, and the Clinton camp’s chief communications officer, Jennifer Palmieri, did their best to drown an audience at a Politico-hosted event in conventional wisdom.

Mook and Palmieri embarked on a tour de force of classic Clintonian misdirection during the interview with Politico’s Mike Allen.

“She really listens,” Palmieri said.

“She can dive deep into any topic,” said Mook. “She is warm and caring about all of the people on her staff.”

“Her story, her life is advocating for other people,” added Palmieri.

Ah. If only the American people had known about that the last 25 years, then they would have had a completely different perception of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

How is it possible that Hillary is so misunderstood, Allen ventured to ask.

“It’s my job to narrow that,” says Palmieri.

Is the Clinton camp worried about the drip, drip, drip of allegations revolving around the Clinton Foundation?

It’s a good thing someone’s on it.

The press corps gently poked at the issue of media access. Many substantive issues — Hillary’s thoughts on the trade issues in front of Congress, Secretary Clinton’s role as architect of the Obama administration’s disastrous foreign policy, Hillary’s accomplishments as its top diplomat, and the Clinton Foundation’s less than savory fundraising practices — were either not discussed or dismissed out of hand.

But Hillary employing the nation’s first chief diversity officer in a national campaign? Raucous applause.

Is the Clinton camp worried about the drip, drip, drip of allegations revolving around the Clinton Foundation?

Clinton Inc. is working to help people hurt by the economic policies of the “George W. Bush tenure,” Mook offered. In fact, he is “incredibly proud of the work of the foundation.”

How does Team Hillary feel about Saturday Night Live’s depiction of the former first lady?

“We love it . . . it’s hilarious,” Palmieri said, less than convincingly.

Is Hillary trustworthy?

“That’s the question that our campaign is built to prove,” Palmieri said. “That’s the central issue of our campaign.”

One might have to agree with her on that, though it’s a tough place to start such an effort. Time will tell whether Hillary’s launch — or was it a relaunch? — of her campaign will offer the punch her advisers are looking for. Friday evening was not terribly encouraging.

— Mark Antonio Wright is an intern at National Review.