UPDATE:
Chico spokesperson Brooke Anderson responded to the Emanuel campaign's claim that it was merely "attending a public event to see what is said about the campaign."
"We would welcome Team Rahm to attend our public events," Anderson said, "but they shouldn't lie about who they are. And I would also point out that one of those was not a public event. It was a private meeting with nonprofit leaders. They [Rahm's campaign] were not invited. They came anyway, and they misrepresented themselves."
***
When, in late October, Sheriff Tom Dart and Congressman Luis Gutierrez dropped out of the Chicago mayoral race, everyone wondered who was left to present a real challenge to Rahm Emanuel.
The one name that's emerged as a legitimate possible front-runner in the six weeks since is Gery Chico, most recently the chairman of the City Colleges of Chicago. And Chico's emergence has apparently not been lost on Emanuel.
Rumors have been circulating about Emanuel sending campaign workers to informal Chico campaign events and press conferences, perhaps hoping to catch the candidate in an off-script moment.
But it turns out it was one of the former White House chief of staff's operatives who went off script, revealing on camera that he was from the Emanuel campaign. Two other Emanuel workers were more careful, telling those who asked that they were attending the events on their own, not affiliated with anyone.
Video of all three Emanuel workers at Chico events was released Wednesday by the Chico campaign.
Emanuel spokesman Ben LaBolt confirms to HuffPost Chicago that the three people on the Chico video were indeed from Rahm for Mayor. He repeated the quip he made on Twitter yesterday:
"If attending a public event to see what is said about the campaign is espionage, Tom Clancy is going to be mighty disappointed."
But Chico's campaign was eager to tie the incidents to broader campaign themes.
"Rahm Emanuel wrote the following in a campaign newsletter: 'Transparency and ethics reform have been hallmarks of my time in public office - and I'm ready to bring them to Chicago government,'" Chico spokesperson Brooke Anderson wrote in an email. "Does this seem transparent to you?"
Watch the video, then scroll down and tell us what you think.
From the Chico campaign: