Was Huntsman campaigning while he was still ambassador?

But while still heading the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Huntsman accepted invitations to deliver commencement addresses in the pivotal nominating states of New Hampshire and South Carolina. In New Hampshire, two political operatives who are now playing key roles in his soon-to-be-announced presidential bid helped arrange his visit.

Both were connected to a team of Republicans who assembled a robust campaign-in-waiting while Huntsman was ambassador, making liberal use of a Utah-based political action committee. Huntsman says he had no contact with the group until he resigned from his post…

In an interview, Huntsman insisted that he had no relationship with the strategists working on his behalf until he left government service and returned from China.

“I couldn’t have told you we were going to do this until I got home,” he said during a recent stop in Berlin, N.H., adding that he first met the team the day after his return. “I didn’t know anybody around the table. They were all brand-new.”