All That for Nothing
Hillary Clinton’s email scandal was something that we had put behind us. Back in July, the FBI had recommended that she not face criminal charges—the “scandal” was subsequently relegated to a topic that Donald Trump and his supporters bring up occasionally to attack Clinton. However, on Oct. 28, FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that the intelligence agency would be taking “appropriate investigative steps” to review “emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.” Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin, is currently being investigated for allegedly sexting a 15-year-old girl, and emails suspected to be related to Clinton were discovered from his seized devices.
While violators aren’t sentenced to imprisonment, the most serious consequence is termination, which is what should happen to him.
Chaos ensued. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s running mate, said that Comey’s decision was “very, very troubling.” Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta was suspicious about the timing of the decision, calling it “extraordinary.” Meanwhile, at a rally here in New Hampshire, Trump opened with news of the investigation, saying “I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made.”
His joy would prove to be short lived, as on Nov. 6, Comey told lawmakers that the FBI had reviewed the newly discovered emails and found that Clinton still should not have charges pressed against her.
Comey’s actions are too little, too late. He definitely should not have even announced the reinvestigation into her emails in the first place. By doing so, he violated the Hatch Act—a federal law that states employees in the executive branch of the federal government are not allowed to engage in political campaign activities. Section 7323 prohibits a government employee from “us[ing] his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.” That is exactly what Comey did. While violators aren’t sentenced to imprisonment, the most serious consequence is termination, which is what should happen to him.
Two tracking polls after the announcement (ABC News/Washington Post and IBD/TIPP) found that support for Clinton had diminished dangerously. While a week ago she was ahead by 12 and 4 percentage points, the recent polls showed her ahead by merely 1 and 2 percentage points, respectively. It is indisputable that Comey’s letter altered both polling and actual results. Whatever his intentions were, however, it doesn’t change the fact that his rash decision caused voters to react negatively toward Clinton. Throughout this election cycle, Clinton’s emails proved to be a sensitive topic for the American people, as it is one of the major factors that contribute to her perceived dishonesty and false political transparency. To announce a reinvestigation into Clinton’s emails and abruptly clear her of any wrongdoing (again) so close to Election Day was extremely callous.
Considering that this has been such a consequential election cycle, his actions should be punished even more severely. Global stability has arguably hit a new low amid the war against ISIS, the refugee crisis and heightening tensions between global superpowers. Right now, who we need in the White House is a person with experience, not a political amateur. We need a politician who can utilize rational judgment during a time of crises, not a person who will claim voter fraud if he doesn’t win and wants to withdraw America from NATO. We need a politician who can continue the progress the Obama administration has made through upholding Roe v. Wade, furthering LGBTQ rights and tackle police brutality and for-profit prisons, not a person who will set America back 50 years through pandering to fear and hatred.
As director of the FBI, Comey should have been absolutely sure that Clinton was criminally implicated in these emails before announcing a reinvestigation and causing public hysteria. He tipped the scales in Trump’s favor, changing the election results by a narrow yet imperative margin.