Jesse Lehrich is a Clinton spokesman, focusing on foreign policy. (Twitter/Jesse Lehrich)
Jesse Lehrich is supposed to help his boss, Hillary Clinton, take the spotlight from Donald Trump as her foreign policy spokesman. But during the second presidential debate, he put the spotlight on himself by telling Trump to “go f**k yourself” after Trump suggested that Captain Humayun Khan would not have died in Iraq if Trump were president in 2004.
The 27-year-old Lehrich has been working for the Clinton campaign for over a year and previously worked as an unpaid volunteer. Here’s a look at his career and his now-infamous tweet.
1. Lehrich Stopped Live-Tweeting During the Debate After Apologizing for Cursing at Trump
hey, @realDonaldTrump – regarding your claim that Captain Khan would be alive if you were president:
go fuck yourself.
#debate
Lehrich was live-tweeting the debate, responding to Trump’s comments throughout the night. When Trump said that Khan, a Muslim soldier, would not have died in Iraq if he was president, Lehrich wrote, “go f**k yourself.” After a few tweets, he realized he said something inappropriate and apologized.
“I want to apologize for the clearly inappropriate nature and language of this personal tweet. Sorry all,” he wrote.
Lehrich hasn’t tweeted since.
Over the summer, Khan’s parents got into a feud with Trump after they spoke at the Democratic National Convention. During the debate, Trump finally agreed that their son was an American hero. But as Trump claims he was against the war in Iraq, Trump said that their son would still be alive if he was president in 2003.
2. Lehrich Interned for President Barack Obama’s 2008 Campaign
Trump and Clinton during the second presidential debate. (Getty)
Lehrich is originally from the Boston area and has a B.A. in political science from Colorado College. According to his bio on the Hillary For America campaign site, he also interned for President Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008.
His bio also notes that he worked for the anti-Trump American Bridge PAC as press secretary in May 2014 and became their deputy communications director. He also served as an assistant press secretary for Organizing for Action in 2013 and 2014. Between 2011 and 2013, he held various positions at the consulting firm GMMB.
3. Lehrich Has Been Used to Model Clinton T-Shirts
America rn
#debate
Lehrich was mentioned in a The Atlantic story about young Clinton aides modeling Clinton T-shirts for the campaign website in July 2015. At that time, Lehrich was photographed wearing a “Pride” tank top, with the Clinton campaign logo in rainbow colors.
“What can I say? I’m a team player,” Lehrich said. “Our photog grabbed me and asked me, and between my willingness to do anything for the campaign and the room full of people egging me on, I capitulated.”
Lehrich also modeled the “Pantsuit Palette” T-shirt, which you can still get at the campaign site.
4. Lehrich First Moved to New York as an Unpaid Clinton Volunteer
#Debate preview
In June 2015, Lehrich was featured in a New York Times story, in which he said he moved to New York to be an unpaid volunteer for Clinton. He then helped open her downtown Brooklyn headquarters and stayed with his brother in a one-bedroom apartment. He later moved to an East Village apartment with three roommates and no windows.
“All I’ll be doing is working and sleeping, so who needs windows?” Lehrich said at the time.
5. Lehrich Said Those ‘Disgusted or Sickened’ by Trump Shouldn’t Support Him for President
I’m sorry but I’ve lost patience for this BS
If you are disgusted or sickened by Trump, stop supporting him for president.
Talk is cheap.
When the 2005 Trump Tape, in which Trump talks about an attempt to sexually assault journalist Nancy O’Dell on October 7, Lehrich began retweeting Republican responses to the tape. He also called on Republicans to stop supporting him.
“I’m sorry but I’ve lost patience for this BS. If you are disgusted or sickened by Trump, stop supporting him for president. Talk is cheap,” he wrote.
“Trump is a small, disgusting bully, a bigoted misogynist who can’t be trusted with the nuclear codes.
please join me in voting for him.”
oh hey, Donald Trump Tried to Fire Nancy O’Dell After She Rejected His Sexual Advances
t.co/lLi1swfwOD