from Bill Still
lass=”” >Despite Hillary Clinton being able to escape prosecution on charges of espionage – or, at least, mishandling of classified information – leading Democrats fear significant damage has been done.
According Democrat members of Politico’s “Political Caucus”, those on the fence are now increasingly concerned about Clinton’s trustworthiness. According to an Iowa Democrat quoted in yesterday’s piece in the left-leaning Politico:
“This is not a win. Comey eviscerated all the excuses for Hillary and her team’s behaviors. It plays into the narrative that she can’t be trusted.”
According to a New Hampshire Democrat:
“Every adjective [Comey] used confirms the worst suspicions of those who were a wee bit squeamish about voting for her.
“I cant think of a way it could have been worse, short of an actual recommendation to indict.
“In fact, because the case appeared to be laid out for prosecution of some nature, the fact that this wasn’t recommended only seems to reinforce Trump’s charge of a ‘rigged system.’”
According to a Colorado Democrat:
“She is lucky not to be indicted, but Comey’s comments were brutal. Luckily, Trump is so undisciplined that he missed his best chances to hammer her.”
According to one Florida Democrat:
“The whole thing is baked in at this point. The damage is done. Voters already assumed the worst.”
“The only thing that could have changed anything was if she was charged with crimes. Since she wasn’t, it will have no impact.”
That comment strikes me as a bit of “whistling past the graveyard” because FBI Director Comey quite specifically noted that his comments regarded only the Clinton email and email server scandal, and specifically dodged questions about the Clinton Foundation – and didn’t even look into numerous allegations of perjury before the Benghazi Committee.
Polls will begin trickling out this weekend that will likely show erosion in Clinton’s support.