Clinton tries to make light of new email controversy on late-night TV
Hillary Clinton faces new pressure on two fronts: her ties to the Clinton Foundation and the emails from her private computer servers while she was secretary of state.
The State Department is now under orders to review and release thousands of messages retrievedduring an FBI investigation. They are not part of the roughly 30,000 documents the Democratic nominee turned over two years ago. Clinton aides said they don’t know what’s in the 15,000 emails and documents recovered from her servers by the FBI or how her lawyers missed them when they said they turnedover all her work-related email.
On late-night TV she tried to make light of what has become a serious liability, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.
“We’ve already released, I don’t know, 30,000 plus, so what’s a few more?” Clinton said.
Clinton tried to use humor to defuse the latest controversy over her emails.
“Have you considered using Facetime instead of email?” Jimmy Kimmel asked.
“Actually, actually I think that’s really good advice,” Clinton responded, laughing.
But in Akron, Ohio, Donald Trump and his supporters didn’t find it that funny.
“Now we learn about another 15,000 emails she failed to turn over and they’ve just been discovered,” Trump said at his rally.
On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Clinton tackled a Trump lie about her health.
“Take my pulse while I’m talking to you. Make sure I’m alive,” Clinton said.
Trump and his allies have repeatedly insinuated she’s unwell.
“She also lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS and all of the many adversaries we face,” Trump said last week.
Clinton’s doctor said last year she is in “excellent” health.
“It’s part of the wacky strategy. Just say all these crazy things and maybe you can get some people to believe you,” Clinton said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Trump used the same approach to go after Clinton’s family charity Monday.
“The Clinton Foundation constitute a clear example of RICO -- racketeering influence corrupt organization enterprise,” Trump said.
He insisted foundation donors got favors from Clinton’s State Department and called for a special prosecutor.
“It’s criminality. Everybody knows it,” Trump said.
The State Department said that’s not true.
“We have seen no evidence of any behavior, any relations with the Clinton Foundation that weren’t completely above board,” deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said.
Former President Bill Clinton did announce Monday that he will stop raising money for the foundation and will step down from the board if his wife is elected president, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
But foundation officials have resisted some calls for them to shut down altogether. They say that would deprive millions of people around the world of life-saving medical treatments.