Britain’s EU referendum campaign is in full flow – and the US establishment is keen to let British voters know what’s what.
Despite impassioned pleas to leave Britain to choose by itself, almost 30 US grandees have seen fit to intervene.
With the exceptions of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, every figure came out for the EU, sparking cynicism about their motives and fury from Out campaigners.
Here’s the cash and carping from across the pond:
Barack Obama
The most controversial intervention came from the guy up top, who warned Britain would be at “the back of the queue” for a US trade deal.
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The hardball speech did little to move the opinion polls, and spawned the #FuckOffObama Twitter trend.
Bill Clinton
The former president is due on the anti-Brexit campaign trail ahead of the June 23rd vote – and is set to join compatriot Tony Blair to convince Britain to stay.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary was quick to weigh in once Obama set the precedent, basically parroting exactly what he said. Why might she be doing that?
Their CEOs haven’t said it, because they don’t need to. But the powers that be are making their voices heard with their checkbooks.
While chickenfeed in the US, the six-figure slabs throw the way of Britain’s remain campaign have huge influence across the pond.
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Goldman Sachs is the highest-profile, giving some £500,000 early on in the campaign.
JP Morgan is thought to have done the same.
And this week, British election bosses named Morgan Stanley, CitiGroup and Bloomberg as major donors, who have contributed £250,000 each.
John Kerry
The Secretary of State first encouraged an In vote in February, and repeated himself this week in an address to the Oxford Union.
Madeleine Albright
The Clinton-era Secretary of State was among government figures who expressed their dismay at the prospect of Brexit this week.
In a letter to The Times of London – the preferred weapon of the Remain campaign – Albright said it was her “duty” to make her views known.
George Shultz
Schultz has double-dipped in the open letter pot, signing this week’s missive to the Times alongside Albright. It was his second pass at the table after signing a separate missive last month.
Michael Blumenthal
Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of the Treasury was one of the first over the top, helping to pen a Times letter in which Britain was told not to “take for granted” its economic strength should it leave.
He was joined by:
Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers (Clinton era)
Paul O’Neill, John Snow and Henry Paulson (George W Bush era)
Timothy Geithner (Obama era)
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Also weighing in on Albright’s letter to The Times were former Pentagon chiefs, who jointly said that “the UK would suffer” and be “diminished” by uncoupling itself from Brussels.
Leon Panetta was among the signatories, along with a gang of forebears:
Robert M Gates (W Bush and Obama era)
William S Cohen and William Perry (Clinton era)
Frank Carlucci (Reagan era)
The last contingent, included as ballast for their more influential bosses, round out numbers if nothing else:
Thomas E Donilon and James Jones Jr (Obama)
Stephen J Hadley (Bush)
Brent Scowcroft (HW Bush)
Richard V Allen (Reagan)
Zbigniew Brzezinski (Carter)