Phil Ammann
As Hillary Clinton edges closer to a presidential run, controversy over her use of a private email account during her tenure as Secretary of State dominated headlines and engulfed Washington.
Editorial cartoonist Bill Day, in his newest work, riffs on the “scandal” enveloping the former Secretary of State and prospective 2016 White House candidate, which he sees is an outrage that is more sizzle than steak.
At this point, it would be good to note that a majority of the manufactured outrage comes from enraged conservatives, still smarting from another issue – non-existent cover-ups of the terrorist attacks in Benghazi.
“The Pentagon determined that the total cost of compliance with Benghazi-related congressional requests sent to the Department and other agencies is estimated to be in the millions of dollars,” Day says. “How many millions? It’s anybody’s guess.”
Day added his inspiration for the piece was the drive to press forward by Republican members of Congress who “continue to stress the issue, because of the fringes of the conservative base whose support they seek.”
Using a personal email account while conducting official State Department business, first reported by The New York Times, has snowballed for Clinton – with the help of Republicans — into a solid week of negative press coverage, as well as accusations and calls for a House investigation.
Clinton, known for her penchant for privacy, had gone to great lengths to keep her emails from excessive public disclosure. One explanation is that she chose use private servers to handle her official correspondence, which are more secure than those utilized by the State Department.
Adding fuel to the fire was Clinton’s slow response to inquiries – “behind the curve” as one staffer puts it – leaving some Democrats in early primary states blindsided and concerned.
Nevertheless, other supporters see these latest attacks against the former First Lady as what they are: more partisanship and bias, than any actual wrongdoing. And as they start gearing up for the early 2016 primaries, many doubt that the story will hold sway with voters.
Of course, that does little to appease Clinton’s critics, who look for anything – regardless of origin – to hinder her nascent campaign.
