Clinton is facing serious difficulties on a number of fronts.
First, her mishandling of emails while secretary of state will not go away. A new report from the State Department’s inspector general makes it clear that Clinton broke the rules.
Among five recent secretaries of state, Clinton was the only one who refused to co-operate with the investigation. This wouldn’t be so bad if she hadn’t misled everyone a year ago.
She claimed none of the thousands of emails on her personal server were classified. The IG report maintains more than 2,000 were, indeed, classified. Some were even “top secret”. Her excuse of “convenience” was also questioned, given she carried several devices and how she used them took effort and planning.
Clinton broke State Department rules. But did she also break the law? The FBI is investigating, leaving open the possibility Clinton could be indicted on criminal charges under state secret statutes.
There is also the possibility that she will be charged in connection with the Clinton Foundation. The FBI says it will be presenting recommendations to the attorney general soon. They may allege money laundering and soliciting bribes in exchange for political favours.
All this plays into Donald Trump’s hands. It helps legitimize his “Crooked Hillary” label. And it raises questions about her judgment and trustworthiness.
The possibility of a Clinton indictment blunts President Barack Obama’s ability to campaign aggressively for her during the general election. He refused to answer a recent media scrum question about whether voters can trust Clinton. As the sitting president, he must also remain neutral concerning her mounting legal issues.