Ari Fleischer Secretly Involved In Komen Strategy
On Planned Parenthood
By Judd Legum
Think Progress
February 3, 2012
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/02/03/418797/exclusive-ari-fleischer-komen-planned-parenthood

Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush
and prominent right-wing pundit, was secretly involved
in the Komen Foundation's strategy regarding Planned
Parenthood. Fleischer personally interviewed candidates
for the position of "Senior Vice President for
Communications and External Relations" at Komen last
December. According to a source with first-hand
knowledge, Fleischer drilled prospective candidates
during their interviews on how they would handle the
controversy about Komen's relationship with Planned
Parenthood.

Fleischer's relationship with Komen and the Planned
Parenthood controversy was previously undisclosed. He
confirmed to ThinkProgress his recent role in filling a
key communication position at Komen. Fleischer stressed,
however, another communications firm (Ogilvy PR) was
retained by Komen to deal with crisis communications
over the last few days and he has not been involved.

In November, Komen advertised for a top level
communications position in Roll Call. Promising
applicants received a call from Fleischer. The
advertisement is no longer posted on the Roll Call
website, but a portion is accessible via Google:

According to a source, during at least one interview,
Planned Parenthood was a major topic of conversation.
Fleischer indicated that he had discussed the Planned
Parenthood issue with Komen's CEO, Nancy Brinker, and
that she was at her wits end about how to proceed.
Fleischer described himself as a longtime friend of
Brinker.

Fleischer confirmed to ThinkProgress that he would
receive a fee from Komen when the search is complete.
Fleischer did not specify the amount of his fee but said
it would be "substantially below the normal placement
fee charged by executive search companies" because
"they're a charity I believe in."

Fleischer's high-level involvement with Komen further
complicates its image as an apolitical cancer charity.
Fleischer is a prominent partisan commentator and a
longtime critic of Planned Parenthood. In his book,
Taking Heat, Fleischer criticized Planned Parenthood as
a partisan, ideological organization that receives
undeserved positive coverage in the press. In 2001,
Fleischer said that the Clinton administration verged
too far to the left on family planning efforts because
"if Planned Parenthood wanted it, the previous
administration favored it." 

Update

A copy of the full listing for the position Fleischer
was working to fill for Komen is still available here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NWU-DC/message/241

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