After Hillary Clinton’s shocking loss to Donald Trump in November, it was only a matter of time before the release of an exclusive tell-all book. The only question was, who would be the first people to profit off the election results? Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes won the prize after they rapidly churned out Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign.
Published on April 18, Allen and Parnes’ book makes bold claims of a dysfunctional campaign that was plagued by infighting. For many former Clinton staffers, it was particularly infuriating to see the Democratic candidate herself described as “imperial” and uninvolved with her own campaign. In addition to publishing articles refuting the claims made in Shattered, Clinton’s staffers have taken to social media to share behind-the-scenes photos of what life was really like on the campaign trail.
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Spoiler alert — the photos show a campaign that bears no resemblance to the hellish experience described by Allen and Parnes. But, we must warn you that, if you’re still devastated by the election’s outcome (*raises hand*), these images will almost definitely bring tears to your eyes.
Sure, they didn’t all root for the same baseball teams. But somehow, they managed to enjoy the World Series together. Imagine that.
Game 7 of the World Series. HRC psyched. Capricia Marshall, Cleveland native, not a happy camper. And that's my arm getting really tired. pic.twitter.com/PXKGGNHlqm
— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) April 20, 2017
Look at this terrible argument between Nick Merrill and Greg Hale. The horror!
Here is a terrible argument I had with @GregHale1. pic.twitter.com/0wY0nqpJjq
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) April 20, 2017
If Clinton’s staffers were terrified of her as Shattered alleges, they did a standup job of hiding it. Someone give them their Oscars, STAT.
Or @HillaryClinton clearly very angry with her advance team. pic.twitter.com/tIT4IWeCoP
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) April 20, 2017
Another terrible day of arguments and tension on the trail... pic.twitter.com/snJlMUZ3Gd
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) April 20, 2017
And as for all that infighting amongst the staff? These candids tell quite a different story.
Here's a picture of HFA staff so furious at eachother that we removed @KeepHuynhing from HQ by force after we locked up the primary. pic.twitter.com/rWUHoiWiCv
— Rob Flaherty (@Rob_Flaherty) April 20, 2017
tfw the office fight spills over to the karaoke bar pic.twitter.com/XJvKe51yCa
— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) April 20, 2017
Infighting. pic.twitter.com/efJqoZoFoJ
— Jennifer Palmieri (@jmpalmieri) April 20, 2017
Stress, exhaustion, and long hours come with the territory of every presidential campaign. But a picture is worth a thousand words — and the multitude of images from Clinton’s staffers tells a very different story than the one in the pages of Shattered.