Email scandal could spell trouble for Clinton’s future
The timeline surrounding Hillary Clinton’s email scandal details something of from an episode of House of Cards, and any political scandal ripe enough for good television doesn’t spell good fortune for a presidential nominee.
On March 3, The New York Times revealed that Hillary Clinton has used a private email account for professional business in the past.
Upon swearing in as Secretary of State in 2009, she was informed by State Department that certain emails should be retained and official communication systems were not mandatory, but “preferred” as to dispel any suspicion regarding her business.
The private email (hdr22@clintonemail.com, according to Gawker) was allegedly just as secure as her professional email. During a press conference on March 10, Clinton claimed that she “fully complied with every rule [she] was governed by.”
“I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email,” she said. “There is no classified material.”
Since Sidney Blumenthal, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, uncovered the email address, speculation has arisen regarding what she could’ve used it for. To these, Hillary claims that “others had done it,” a statement which brings speculation in onto itself. However, Mercury News recently revealed that she’s “the first Secretary of State to have conducted all official government business on a private email address.”
One can only imagine House of Cards characters Zoe Barnes and Lucas Goodwin exchanging emails with Blumenthal in a vaguely monochromatic office.
Clinton’s scandal, reminiscent of a Frank Underwood fiasco, doesn’t spell good news for her campaign in 2016. While some experts claim it may not affect her stance as a democratic nominee, this may force some voters to reconsider how well they know this potential leader of the free world.
Republicans and the far left have long criticized the Clintons for being largely self-serving and opportunistic, and this email scandal does nothing to soften these criticisms as Hillary’s response only further fuels them.
Her vocal support of Israel’s military operations in Gaza during the summer of 2014 and active pursuance of “capitalistic feminism” also helped paint this image of a conniving Hillary Clinton who’s ultimately in this – whatever this may be – for herself. Two questions remain: What exactly did Clinton use this email for, and is a self-serving president fit for the White House?
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