A Middle East policy adviser for Barack Obama has left the campaign after acknowledging having held talks with Hamas, FOX News confirms. The Times newspaper in London first reported Friday that the campaign was severing ties with the adviser, Robert Malley.
Malley said he had been in contact with the Palestinian group, but only through his work for a “conflict resolution think tank,” and not on behalf of the Obama campaign, the newspaper reported.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton told FOX News Malley was “an ancillary adviser who never met with Obama, literally one of hundreds of informal advisers who from time to time offered advice on Middle East policy.”
Another Obama spokesman told The Times Malley “has no formal role in the campaign and he will not play any role in the future.”
Hamas, which is labeled a terrorist organization by the State Department, is a touchy issue for the Obama campaign.
Hamas adviser Ahmed Yousef said in a recent interview, “We like Mr. Obama, we hope that he will win the election,” and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has poked fun at Obama for the apparent endorsement.
McCain has said he would be Hamas’ “worst nightmare”; he told “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart Wednesday that he could “guarantee” Hamas would not endorse him for president.
Obama accused McCain of “losing his bearings” and engaging in a smear campaign for the remarks.