The FBI’s renewed interest in Hillary Clinton’s private email server has rattled the Democratic presidential nominee’s national campaign but not cost her support in North Carolina from fellow Democrat Deborah Ross, who is running in a close U.S. Senate race.
The latest twist in what was a closed federal investigation prompted Ross’ opponent – senior North Carolina U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican – to re-up his call for a “full accounting” of the former secretary of state’s email conduct. Burr’s campaign criticized Senate Democrats who quickly lashed out at FBI Director James Comey.
The FBI should review the facts and share them with the public as they become available.
Deborah Ross for Senate campaign statement
Ross has appeared numerous times with Clinton and her surrogates in North Carolina as Democrats run a coordinated campaign in the battleground state. A former state lawmaker and lobbyist, Ross is challenging the two-term Republican Burr.
Ross campaigned with Clinton last Thursday – the day before an abrupt announcement from Comey that the FBI found new emails, possibly related to its previous investigation into Clinton’s home email server. With just more than a week to go before Election Day, Comey has released minimal details about the new review.
Ross “believes the FBI should review the facts and share them with the public as they become available,” her campaign said in a statement to McClatchy. The Senate contender has previously called Clinton’s handling of emails as Secretary of State a mistake.
Clinton’s campaign has blasted Comey’s decision. Clinton herself has called the move “strange,” unprecedented and “deeply troubling.”
Burr – who, as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee was one of the first in Congress last week to learn of the latest in Clinton’s email case – has, in the past, accused Clinton of lying about her emails and mishandling classified information. He’s also lent support to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s call for a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton.
With the latest news, Burr noted the FBI is conducting an investigation of “new and potentially classified emails.” Burr’s statement called for a “full accounting of Secretary Clinton’s practices and a complete picture of her actions as Secretary of State.”
His campaign pounced on the development in Clinton’s case by calling on Ross to say whether she still thinks her party’s presidential nominee is “trustworthy.”
Hyperbolic statements like the one made by Harry Reid are desperate attempts to provide cover for candidates like Deborah Ross who believe Hillary Clinton is ‘trustworthy’ despite being under FBI investigation.
Jesse Hunt, spokesman for Sen. Richard Burr
In response to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s harsh criticism on Sunday of the FBI director, Burr’s campaign spokesman Jesse Hunt said: “Hyperbolic statements like the one made by Harry Reid are desperate attempts to provide cover for candidates like Deborah Ross who believe Hillary Clinton is ‘trustworthy’ despite being under FBI investigation.”
Reid sent Comey a letter accusing him of possibly violating a federal law that prohibits senior government officials from engaging in partisan politics.
Anna Douglas: 202-383-6012, @ADouglasNews
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