In its December 2009 profile of Hillary Clinton, Vogue magazine described Philippe Reines as Clinton’s “Michael Clayton-esque image man and fixer.” In March 2010, The Washington Post’s WhoRunsGov, a site offering user-contributed political profiles, moderated by an editorial team, included a profile of Reines as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, in its “Power 25: Press” series; and in July 2010, Politico included Reines in their “50 Politicos to Watch” list, categorizing him as a “fixer”.
For those who don’t know who Michael Clayton is:
Michael Clayton is a 2007 American legal thriller film written and directed by Tony Gilroy and starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, and Sydney Pollack.
Michael Clayton is a “fixer” for a prestigious New York City law firm, using his connections and knowledge of legal loopholes for clients’ benefit. Although he is paid well enough, he is divorced, addicted to gambling, and faced with a large debt when his restaurant fails. After leaving a clandestine poker game to deal with Greer, a client involved in a hit-and-run incident, Michael drives back, stopping at a field, where some horses are standing on a hill. When he climbs the hill to gaze at them, his car explodes and burns.