There’s not much about the 2016 presidential election that the media hasn’t said and regurgitated countless times. One such example is Hillary Clinton’s email scandal and the recent revelations that might actually affect voters when they go to the polls.
It’s stunning that there is such bipartisan condemnation against FBI Director James Comey when he publically announced the investigation’s reopening. Even rabid Donald Trump supporters, such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Rep. Joe Walsh, were quick to denounce Comey’s timing despite calling for Hillary Clinton’s prosecution just months before.
Many congressmen claimed that Comey’s announcement was irresponsible and, whether this was actually true, reeked of election-tampering.
At first glance, I agreed with this sentiment. Everything about this affair seemed suspect. The FBI is supposed to be a nonpartisan agency, but they’ve reignited a controversy that directly undermines Clinton.
Yet, imagine if Comey had waited until after the election. He’d probably be in a similar situation, with accusations that he was withholding pertinent information that could affect voters’ decisions. This is a classic no-win situation and I can’t help but feel for Comey, who had to choose when to pull the trigger.
Whatever his intentions were, it appears that Comey’s career is in jeopardy. However, the question remains: Will this situation influence the outcome of the election?
According to FiveThirtyEight, although the race is tightening, Comey’s action is probably not the game changer that some analysts predicted. The site projects that Trump has only a 32 percent chance of winning the election.
Amid Trump’s accusations of a rigged election and his supremely outspoken voting base, this new email news can only cause problems. I wish this wasn’t the case since nothing incriminating has been revealed yet.
These new emails aren’t another Watergate, but it’s certainly going to be portrayed as such by the GOP in a last ditch attempt to rally votes.
Trump himself has already pounced on the situation.
“How can Hillary manage a country if she cannot even manage her emails?” Trump said in a speech at Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday.
Trump now has another round in his belt as Clinton is scrambling to defuse the implications against her. Even in the likely event that she wins, Trump can still use this as further “proof” that the election is rigged.
This brings me to my final thought: Does it really matter whether either candidate concedes to the winner?
There has been much talk of whether Trump will do this although his campaign spokesperson, Jason Miller, said “of course” if the election was fair. However, Trump has been lax in confirming this himself and is outspoken in deriding the election’s legitimacy.
I don’t believe that a Clinton victory would cause open rebellion, but it’s important that the nation be as unified as possible. These new emails are stoking the fire and, at this juncture, it would be wise for Trump to concede.
In the end, this whole email situation is probably more pronounced than it needs to be. It’s also probably not as pertinent as it is.
The country’s politically polarized nature forced Comey to choose between a rock and hard place. Now, just days before the election, controversy ensued.
It’s a shame. In the grand scheme of this election year, however, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Opinion columnist Berk Gulen is a mathematics junior and can be reached at [email protected]
Two weeks ago Hillary +12. Now she’s tied.
It’s obvious with oversampling Democrats that Clinton was never up 12. She’s as boring as watching paint dry. And you want me to believe she has all the momentum, enough to win over Trump.
Clinton and Kaine are unable to draw crowds … and the Philadelphia concert with JZ et al, the Leftists Media will make it look like everyone is coming to see Hillary. But please, we know the opposite is the truth.
Her email debacle just scratches the surface of her political depravity. And it shows.