Hillary Clinton sidestepped a debate question over whether politicians should have “both a public and a private position,” as recently published emails purport to show her supporting opposing views in April 2013.
On Friday, WikiLeaks published what appeared to be emails hacked from the Clinton campaign that included unverified transcripts from an April 2013 speech that included Clinton discussing the difficulties of dealmaking in politics.
She is reported to have said in the speech to the National Multifamily Housing Council: “If everybody’s watching, you know, all of the back room discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position.”
The emails, which appear to have been taken from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s account in recent weeks, allegedly provide some details of her paid speeches to large banks — talks that have drawn scrutiny from her opponents.
ABC News has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the emails, revealed on Friday by WikiLeaks.
On Friday, the U.S. government blamed the Russian government for directing cyber attacks against American political institutions and interfering with the U.S. election. That accusation included the detail that the contents of some of the hacks had been given to WikiLeaks, among others.
A campaign spokesman, Glen Caplin, said that the campaign was “not going to confirm the authenticity of stolen documents released by Julian Assange who has made no secret of his desire to damage Hillary Clinton.”
Among the more than 2,000 emails was an email from Tony Carrk, the Clinton campaign’s research director, to various top campaign officials regarding the speeches to banks.
In the email, Carrk appears to be highlighting excerpts from speeches — which Clinton has refused to release — that could be damaging if they were to be made public. The subject of those excerpts appeared to focus largely on trade and reforming Wall Street.
Another of the stolen emails details a 2013 speech to Banco Itaú, a bank based in Brazil, in which Clinton apparently said, “My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders.”
Among other issues regarding trade, Clinton’s previous support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership drew heavy scrutiny from progressive Democrats during the primary campaign. Clinton ultimately had to announce her opposition.
The Republican National Committee said of the alleged leaked emails, “The truth that has been exposed here is that the persona Hillary Clinton has adopted for her campaign is a complete and utter fraud. How can Bernie Sanders and many like-minded Democrats continue to support her candidacy in light of these revelations?”
Emails to Goldman Sachs and Banco Itaú did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the email publication.
ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks and The Associated Press contributed to this report.