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The Clinton aide turned Trump stand-in

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.Matt Rourke

Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton and one of the most astute observers of her personal and political vulnerabilities, is playing Donald Trump in her mock debate sessions, according to people familiar with Reines' involvement.

Reines, who was Clinton's chief defender, enforcer and gatekeeper during most of her years in the Senate and as secretary of state, is a deft practitioner of the combative, no-holds-barred politics that Trump favors.

His selection as the Trump stand-in means that Clinton wants an opponent in her mock debates who knows her flaws and how to exploit them and who is fearless about getting under her skin the way that Trump might at their first debate Monday night.

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He is also known as one of a small handful of members of her inner circle willing to be tough and blunt with Clinton about her own missteps. Clinton, in her memoir "Hard Choices," described Reines as "passionate, loyal, and shrewd" and added, "I can always trust him to speak his mind."

Reines began playing the role of Trump soon after the party nominating conventions ended, according to a friend of his, who asked not to be identified in order to discuss an internal issue.

"It's perfect," said Michael Feldman, a former aide to Al Gore who is also friends with Reines and was aware of Reines' role.

He said Reines had all the right qualities. "As people have been trying to guess, they've been identifying characteristics, all of which he has: He's smart, he's quick on his feet, and he knows how to, and is not afraid to try, to push her buttons," Feldman said.

The stand-in opponent is a critical role in mock debates: The person usually spends weeks preparing by watching old debates and studying policy statements in order to present a precise and textured version of the adversary, and even sometimes remains in character during downtime between practice sessions. Then-Sen. John Kerry played Mitt Romney in President Barack Obama's mock debates in 2012, while Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio played Obama for Romney's practice sessions.

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Trump, who is proudly keeping his debate preparations to a minimum, does not have a specific person playing Clinton.

The job of Trump stand-in was widely regarded in political circles as a challenging one, given that Trump is unpredictable in his remarks, especially when under attack. In primary debates he harshly mocked and insulted his Republican opponents as liars, weak, and small while they stood just a few feet away.

Reines, whose garrulous and quirky personality is closer in some ways to Trump's than Clinton's, is the rare ally who would be willing to throw any number of embarrassing comments in her face during a mock debate. Reines would not be uncomfortable calling her "Crooked Hillary," like Trump does, or even bringing up her husband's past infidelities to try to unnerve or belittle her.

As more than a few Washington insiders know, Reines can be verbally ferocious and sometimes profane in dealing with political operatives, reporters and others he regards as a threat to Clinton.

During one heated email exchange in 2012 with a reporter from BuzzFeed, who opened the conversation by referring to Reines as having been "defensive" in a CNN appearance, Reines gave a lengthy statement but then started jabbing. "Why do you bother to ask questions you've already decided you know the answers to?" Reines wrote the reporter, Michael Hastings, who himself became combative.

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Reines ultimately told off the reporter with several profanities and told him to "have a good life." He once replied to another reporter, for a story about books critical of Clinton, "Is it possible to be quoted yawning?"

Reines has been an unofficial adviser to Clinton during the presidential race, usually weighing in with her directly from his perch as a Washington consultant. During Clinton's 2008 campaign, her advisers largely sidelined Reines, wary of his tactics and temperament, but he remained loyal and earned a prized spot at the State Department as her personal spokesman and senior adviser for communications.


Amy Chozick contributed reporting