Edwards Campaign Statement On Clinton's Homeland Security Fundraiser

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – John Edwards for President senior campaign advisor Joe Trippi released the following statement in response to the homeland security fundraiser held today by Senator Clinton:

"Senator Clinton's fundraising event today serves as the poster child for what is wrong with Washington and why we need big change to put Washington back on the side of regular Americans. Whether Senator Clinton's campaign realizes it or not, the truth is there aren't many Americans who believe it is okay to take money from lobbyists and then sit them down with the chairs of the very committees that they seek to influence. That no one in the Clinton campaign – including the candidate – found anything wrong with holding this fundraiser is an indication of just how bad things have gotten in Washington.

"The American people see how corrupt the system in Washington has become. They see how our nation's capital is awash in campaign money from Washington lobbyists and insiders who have rigged the system against regular Americans. And they want that to change. That's why, last month, John Edwards challenged Senator Clinton to join him in demanding the Democratic Party lead the way to real reform by refusing, as a party, to take campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists. And that's why, once again, Edwards is asking Senator Clinton to stand with him to send a message to the country that what is happening at this fundraiser today will never happen again.

"John Edwards believes that if we want to find real solutions to the challenges facing our nation, we cannot sit down and try to compromise with the lobbyists and powerful special interests that have stood in the way of change for so long. We cannot even give them a seat at the table, because they'll never negotiate their power away. We have to stand up to them, fight them, and win. That's what John Edwards has done his entire career, and that's what he'll do as president."