June 5, 2008 5:08 PM
- Text
How Clinton's Final Campaign Moments Unfolded
(CBS)
WASHINGTON -- The decision for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race this weekend surprised many, according to a conversation with a senior Hillary Clinton staffer, as it came only hours after she made a visit to her campaign headquarters.
The staffer, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to CBS News, said that Clinton's decision to drop out was "a multi-stage process."
It all began after Clinton decided to make a visit to her campaign headquarters following a speech in downtown Washington yesterday morning. The staff was under the impression that Clinton was going to "swing by, but it turned into something else," said the source, adding that Clinton ended up staying much longer. "It was really nice," the staffer said. "She talked about what we'd accomplished together. She said 'I haven't made up my mind yet about what I'm going to do, but in the coming days I will.'"
Clinton made up her mind just hours after that meeting. Immediately following her visit, Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams told staffers they would be "cut loose" after Friday, but they would remain on the payroll until June15th. Only a "small, skeletal group" remains on the payroll, according to the source.
It wasn't until shortly after noon that there were "rumblings that she'd made up her mind." Soon after, reporters began calling every person on Clinton's staff to get confirmation that she had decided to step down. The news was reported on national newscasts later that night.
Today, Clinton, her husband, and her daughter spent a quiet afternoon at their house in Washington. As of mid-afternoon, Clinton had received two visitors to her home. One was her traveling chief of staff Huma Abedin, who apparently has her own set of keys to the residence as she let herself in, and her brother Tony Rodham and his little daughter, both of whom were dressed to go swimming. As Rodham knocked on the door someone answered and said "are you ready to go for a swim?" It is unclear if the Clintons were part of the pool party.
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