Did Hillary Clinton’s campaign strategize on launching a Super PAC that would benefit them?

In an email released by Wikileaks on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio talked about the launch of a “People’s PAC” that would draw in Bernie Sanders supporters to help Hillary.

The two discussed a Hill column by Brent Budowski on the opportunity to harness the grassroots energy for Sanders to benefit Clinton.

“What do you think of the People’s PAC idea described below?” Podesta wrote to de Blasio on March 17, 2016. “Think it would work? I am sure our team would view it as competition and try to strangle it, but I think it might have merit.”

“On first blush, I think it has A LOT of merit,” de Blasio responded a couple hours later. “It would give Bernie followers a way to connect that would then be a good gateway to getting them more comfortable with Hillary.

“We need to keep continuity with them. And the money will be left on the table otherwise. This really could help Hillary get a Dem Senate and help create the progressive counter-weight she’ll need to move much of her program.

“I stand ready to help build this,” de Blasio wrote.

“I think it’s a good idea but think that our team will see it as a resource diversion,” Podesta wrote back the next day.” I don’t really see it that way.”

The mayor wrote back, “The team will be leaving a lot of money on the table if they see it that way… Anyway, I’d ready to engage this in any way you’d like.”