Dems work to downplay Rosen's role within the party


The firestorm surrounding comments Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen made about Ann Romney has Democrats pushing back at the claim that Rosen is an adviser to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).


“She has no role at the DNC,” a DNC official told The Hill in an email. “She’s not an adviser to the DNC.”


Rosen said Wednesday night on CNN that Ann Romney, the wife of GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, “never worked a day in her life.” After initially defending her remarks, she issued an apology on Thursday afternoon.


But Republicans seized on her comments, which could be an opening for the GOP to close the massive gender gap that exists between Romney and President Obama. In the immediate aftermath of the controversy, the Romney campaign looked to tie Rosen to the highest levels of the Obama administration, and sought to portray her as a top adviser to the DNC.


Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom referred to Rosen as an “Obama adviser” over Twitter, and campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul pointed to articles that referred to Rosen an adviser to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).


Republicans specifically pointed to a Wall Street Journal profile of Wasserman-Schultz from February that said the Florida Democrat enlisted “two seasoned Democratic female pros, Anita Dunn and Hilary Rosen, to begin giving her occasional political advice and media training.”


But Rosen’s role within the party is more complicated than either side has acknowledged in the furor over the story.


She is a CNN contributor, which contractually prohibits her from working as a paid adviser for campaigns or political parties, the network told The Hill.

"Hilary Rosen, like all CNN contributors, is not a paid advisor to any political party or presidential campaign."

Rosen is a partner at the political communications firm SKDKnickerbocker, where former White House communications director Anita Dunn, who is an adviser to the DNC, serves as a managing director. 


SKDKnickerbocker has stressed Rosen has no role with the DNC, telling the Post she is not an adviser to the committee.