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| Clinton and Trump camps duel over FBI director's late email revelation | Clinton and Trump camps duel over FBI director's late email revelation |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Top officials for the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaigns on Sunday dueled over the revelation that the FBI had found emails that are potentially new and related to its dormant investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server. | Top officials for the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaigns on Sunday dueled over the revelation that the FBI had found emails that are potentially new and related to its dormant investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server. |
| John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, and Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, assailed FBI director James Comey for defying convention by publicly resurrecting the specter of his agency’s investigation, without much detail and so close to election day. Campaign officials repeated the candidate’s call for more information about the content of the emails to be released. | John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, and Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, assailed FBI director James Comey for defying convention by publicly resurrecting the specter of his agency’s investigation, without much detail and so close to election day. Campaign officials repeated the candidate’s call for more information about the content of the emails to be released. |
| Trailing in the polls with nine days to go until election day, the Trump campaign seized on the news as a lifeline. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Sunday that Comey’s decision to write to congressional officials showed Clinton was “unfit to be president based on her constant flouting of the law”. | Trailing in the polls with nine days to go until election day, the Trump campaign seized on the news as a lifeline. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Sunday that Comey’s decision to write to congressional officials showed Clinton was “unfit to be president based on her constant flouting of the law”. |
| “This was an unprecedented action,” Podesta told CNN, echoing what has become the Clinton campaign’s official defense. He and Robby Mook, the campaign manager, also cited reports that said attorney general Loretta Lynch and deputy attorney general Sally Yates warned Comey not to make the new findings public, and increasing criticism from former Republican and Democratic justice officials. | “This was an unprecedented action,” Podesta told CNN, echoing what has become the Clinton campaign’s official defense. He and Robby Mook, the campaign manager, also cited reports that said attorney general Loretta Lynch and deputy attorney general Sally Yates warned Comey not to make the new findings public, and increasing criticism from former Republican and Democratic justice officials. |
| “The justice department has had a longstanding tradition of not interfering with elections,” Podesta said. | “The justice department has had a longstanding tradition of not interfering with elections,” Podesta said. |
| Podesta added that Comey’s letter to congressional officials was “long on innuendo and short on facts”, and cited a report by Yahoo News that the FBI, lacking a warrant, had yet to read the emails before Comey sent his letter on Friday. | Podesta added that Comey’s letter to congressional officials was “long on innuendo and short on facts”, and cited a report by Yahoo News that the FBI, lacking a warrant, had yet to read the emails before Comey sent his letter on Friday. |
| The emails belong to Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide, and surfaced during a separate investigation into Abedin’s estranged husband, Anthony Weiner. Weiner is under investigation for allegations that he sent sexual messages to an underage girl, and on Sunday, the Washington Post reported, quoting anonymous sources, that FBI investigators have known for weeks that they might find pertinent emails on his device. Those “people familiar with the case” said they did not know why agents might have delayed informing Comey. | |
| CNN host Jake Tapper countered to Podesta that law enforcement sources had said they were familiar with the emails’ contents. CNN also reported sources saying the justice department was attempting to secure approval for the FBI to fully search the emails. | |
| “We’re calling on Mr Comey to come forward and explain what’s at issue here,” Podesta said. “It may not even be about her server. It may not be about her at all.” He added that Comey had “said himself, in his letter to the hill, that these emails may not be significant”. | “We’re calling on Mr Comey to come forward and explain what’s at issue here,” Podesta said. “It may not even be about her server. It may not be about her at all.” He added that Comey had “said himself, in his letter to the hill, that these emails may not be significant”. |
| Four senior Senate Democrats – Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Ben Cardin and Thomas Carper – have written to Comey and Lynch, demanding a briefing on the new emails by Monday. | Four senior Senate Democrats – Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Ben Cardin and Thomas Carper – have written to Comey and Lynch, demanding a briefing on the new emails by Monday. |
| Conway followed her candidate, who has said the scandal over Clinton’s emails is “bigger than Watergate”, in hailing Comey for disclosing a potential bombshell that could change the course of the election. | Conway followed her candidate, who has said the scandal over Clinton’s emails is “bigger than Watergate”, in hailing Comey for disclosing a potential bombshell that could change the course of the election. |
| “Had he sat on the information,” she said, “one could argue that he also would have been interfering with the election, by not disclosing to the public that yet again, for the second time this year, Hillary Clinton is under FBI investigation for something of her own doing. | “Had he sat on the information,” she said, “one could argue that he also would have been interfering with the election, by not disclosing to the public that yet again, for the second time this year, Hillary Clinton is under FBI investigation for something of her own doing. |
| “She is unfit to be president based on her constant flouting of the law.” | “She is unfit to be president based on her constant flouting of the law.” |
| Appearing later on ABC, Conway called the new revelations part of “a cloud of corruption that follows Hillary Clinton around.” “This plays right into [voters’] reluctance to support Hillary Clinton,” she said. | Appearing later on ABC, Conway called the new revelations part of “a cloud of corruption that follows Hillary Clinton around.” “This plays right into [voters’] reluctance to support Hillary Clinton,” she said. |
| Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, pursued the same line, telling NBC the discovery of the new emails showed Clinton to be “just a risky choice in this election”. Pence also sought to draw attention to Attorney General Lynch’s controversial meeting with Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport this summer, which Lynch herself said “cast a shadow” over the emails investigation. | Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, pursued the same line, telling NBC the discovery of the new emails showed Clinton to be “just a risky choice in this election”. Pence also sought to draw attention to Attorney General Lynch’s controversial meeting with Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport this summer, which Lynch herself said “cast a shadow” over the emails investigation. |
| Pence also said Comey’s July recommendation not to prosecute Clinton was “deeply troubling”. The new review was a welcome change, he said. | Pence also said Comey’s July recommendation not to prosecute Clinton was “deeply troubling”. The new review was a welcome change, he said. |
| The effect of the news on polling, in which according to realclearpolitics.com Clinton leads by four points nationally, was not yet clear. Mook, hailing volunteer numbers on the ground for Clinton, told NBC he did not think the new development would stop his candidate winning the White House. | The effect of the news on polling, in which according to realclearpolitics.com Clinton leads by four points nationally, was not yet clear. Mook, hailing volunteer numbers on the ground for Clinton, told NBC he did not think the new development would stop his candidate winning the White House. |
| On Friday, Comey told members of Congress the FBI had potentially discovered new emails linked to the investigation of a private email server Clinton used while she was secretary of state. | On Friday, Comey told members of Congress the FBI had potentially discovered new emails linked to the investigation of a private email server Clinton used while she was secretary of state. |
| The FBI spent months investigating whether Clinton’s use of a private server violated any laws. This summer, Comey announced that his agency had found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing, but said Clinton’s handling of sensitive government information had been “extremely careless”. | The FBI spent months investigating whether Clinton’s use of a private server violated any laws. This summer, Comey announced that his agency had found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing, but said Clinton’s handling of sensitive government information had been “extremely careless”. |
| “It’s pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information just days before an election,” said Clinton on Saturday, in response to Comey’s letter. “In fact, it’s not just strange. It’s unprecedented and it is deeply troubling.” | “It’s pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information just days before an election,” said Clinton on Saturday, in response to Comey’s letter. “In fact, it’s not just strange. It’s unprecedented and it is deeply troubling.” |
| Kaine said on Sunday he expected Comey to reach the same conclusion – that Clinton’s actions were not criminal – in light of these new emails. | Kaine said on Sunday he expected Comey to reach the same conclusion – that Clinton’s actions were not criminal – in light of these new emails. |
| “This is a distraction,” he said on ABC, adding that Comey’s announcement was “in violation of normal Justice Department protocol, and it involves talking about an ongoing investigation, which also violated protocol. “It’s just extremely puzzling why you would break these two protocols … when you haven’t even seen the emails yourself.” | “This is a distraction,” he said on ABC, adding that Comey’s announcement was “in violation of normal Justice Department protocol, and it involves talking about an ongoing investigation, which also violated protocol. “It’s just extremely puzzling why you would break these two protocols … when you haven’t even seen the emails yourself.” |
| Clinton campaign members were tight-lipped on what Abedin may have told them about the emails that surfaced in the investigation of her estranged husband. Reports said Abedin did not know about the emails until Friday. | Clinton campaign members were tight-lipped on what Abedin may have told them about the emails that surfaced in the investigation of her estranged husband. Reports said Abedin did not know about the emails until Friday. |
| Pence and Conway called for the Clinton campaign to simply release Abedin’s emails, if they were certain the contents would not undercut the FBI’s previous conclusion that Clinton broke no laws. | Pence and Conway called for the Clinton campaign to simply release Abedin’s emails, if they were certain the contents would not undercut the FBI’s previous conclusion that Clinton broke no laws. |
| In response, Mook told NBC the FBI had not released enough information for the campaign to determine which of Abedin’s emails were even under scrutiny. | In response, Mook told NBC the FBI had not released enough information for the campaign to determine which of Abedin’s emails were even under scrutiny. |
| Mook urged Comey to make more details of the investigation available. | Mook urged Comey to make more details of the investigation available. |
| “If he doesn’t come out and get all the information on the table he’s going to let any conspiracy theory carry the day,” he said. | “If he doesn’t come out and get all the information on the table he’s going to let any conspiracy theory carry the day,” he said. |