Less than a week after Bill Clinton delivered a searing address before the Democratic National Convention endorsing President Barack Obama’s reelection, the former President’s Foundation announced that Mitt Romney will appear at an event held by the Clinton Global Initiative later this month.
Both Romney and President Obama will speak on the final night of the Clinton Global Initiatives’ annual meeting, a gathering aimed at finding international solutions to pressing global problems.
“I’m grateful that President Obama and Governor Romney are taking time to join leaders from all parts of society who choose to address our greatest global challenges through the Clinton Global Initiative,” Clinton said in a statement Monday. “CGI is built on the spirit of non-partisan, cross-sector collaborations that drive action.”
When asked Monday if there were concerns from the White House that an appearance by Romney could undercut the impact of Clinton’s well-received speech, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney replied with a flat “no.”
“I don’t think [Clinton’s speech] reflected well on the idea that we ought to go back to the policies that we had that lead to the recession, that produced the biggest deficits in history, that created a situation where the middle class …suffered mightily,” Carney said. “I didn’t hear any endorsements on that.”
The Clinton Global Initiative will meet in New York City from September 23rd through 25th. The meeting coincides with the UN General Assembly.
