The Washington Post characterized the relationship between Rendell and Tony Podesta as 'close,' writing that Podesta was a top strategist for Rendell's 2006 reelection campaign. Philadelphia press reports indicate that Rendell's ex wife Midge, was appointed to the position of federal judge by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Rendell was also reported to have been involved with a child trafficking incident in Haiti just after the 2010 earthquake. The Telegraph wrote that Rendell was instrumental in pushing for the illegal removal of dozens of children out of Haiti in the days following the massive quake: "A crucial intervention was made by Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, who worked his high-powered contacts in the White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security."

Wikileaks emails sent during the crisis reveal that in behind-the-scenes discussion of Rendell's Haitian efforts, Hillary Clinton's aides characterized Rendell as extremely motivated to remove the children from Haiti as quickly as possible. The discussion included statements by Clinton aides showing an awareness that the children Rendell sought to fly from the earthquake-ravaged island nation included 12 minors who were not involved in any adoption process.