It’s not the emails that hurt

It’s Clinton’s inability to shut the door on the issue

The World Today Updated 11 December 2020 2 minute READ

Dr Jacob Parakilas

Former Deputy Head, US and the Americas Programme

Anyone scanning American newspaper headlines and editorials over the past few months might conclude that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is in deep trouble.

Thanks to her decision to use a private email server while she was secretary of state, the front runner is supposedly being squeezed out of the race for the Democratic nomination. Even if she does win it, the coverage suggests, she has been so weakened that whoever emerges from the Republican primary will march into the White House.

Hillary Clinton may or may not be the next president of the United States, but her fate is very unlikely to be decided by her emails. While it would be foolish to suggest that her use of a private server was wise, no evidence has yet emerged that Clinton or her staff violated any law, and the emails released by the State Department have not revealed anything particularly salacious or even all that interesting about her work or personal life.

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