One of the biggest issues that has been surrounding Hillary Clinton’s campaign is her email controversy. In March 2015, it was revealed that Clinton had used her own private email account for official communications instead of the official one given by the State Department. It was made apparent that thousands of emails that contained classified information were sent through her account, several of which are now available on WikiLeaks.
In the wake of Clinton’s presidential run, the scandal became well publicized, with many people saying that this action violated State Department protocols and federal laws regarding record keeping. In May, an FBI investigation regarding the case was launched. After several months, the FBI finally released a statement.
On July 5, James Comey, the current FBI director, stated that he would not recommend charges against Clinton. Although this has alleviated the biggest tension over the campaign, the threat of Clinton’s indictment, this incident is not without its consequences.
The biggest setback is the public’s worsening opinion of the candidate. In his statement,
Comey called Clinton and the rest of her team “extremely careless” in their handling of sensitive material and that “any reasonable person. . . should have known that an unclassified system” was an inappropriate place to conduct government business.
More importantly, he said that the FBI found over 100 emails that contained classified information at the time they were received. This goes directly against what Clinton said when she claimed to never have sent or received any classified emails.
In addition, Comey said that his team found that Clinton used more than one personal account and several different devices to send and receive emails. Again, this finding contradicts what Clinton had previously stated; she had claimed to use only one device for convenience, hence the reason why she created a personal account in the first place.
Comey also said that the FBI found several emails that Clinton’s lawyers had deleted that also contained professional information.
In short, the FBI’s investigation revealed that Clinton has lied about pretty much everything in regards to the case, from the fact that she claimed to have not sent or received classified information to the fact that her lawyers tried to cover up even more emails.
Of course, this development has decreased the former Secretary of State’s likability among the general public. In addition, Clinton’s main opponent in the Republican party, Donald Trump, has been very vocal about his views on the situation.
Soon after Comey’s statements, he tweeted, “FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No charges. Wow! #RiggedSystem”
Many voters and other politicians alike have criticized Clinton for her trustworthiness, or lack thereof, as a result of the email scandal. Even with low likelihood of indictment, this incident has led to serious judgment about the potential President’s character.
Although it has not ruined her chances of getting into the White House, Clinton’s campaign has taken a bad blow.
Despite her attempts to get past the whole situation, Comey’s statements and the FBI’s discoveries will make it hard for her to do so. There is no doubt that this scandal will have an effect on her campaign even until Election Day on November 8.