Hillary Clinton recently came under fire when reports surfaced that she had used a private email address â hosted on a private server located in her home â while she served as Secretary of State in the Obama Administration. Critics on both sides of the political spectrum point to this latest revelation as evidence that Clinton’s capabilities as a political leader may be questionable.
But Lanny Davis, lawyer and former special counsel to President Clinton and advisor to President George W. Bush, came to Clinton’s defense on The Costa Report, calling the latest media frenzy a “tempest in a teapot.” According to Davis, the use of personal email is common amongst high-level government officials. He cited former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, as an example of this practice, describing the use of personal emails as “perfectly normal.” “If we’re going to discuss this subject, it ought to be not a double standard,” said Davis. “There can’t be any intent to hide something if you use an email address thousands of people in the State Department see.” Davis urges the public to consider the fact that Clinton made no attempt to conceal her personal email address on any of the thousands of emails she sent, and never denied the use of a private server.
Furthermore, Davis argues that The New York Times â which went so far as to imply that Clinton may have broken the law â is largely to blame for the misinformation surrounding the story. He claims the article omitted key information, including the fact that The Federal Records Act was not passed until November of last year â two years after Clinton left office. Davis says that once a media source like The New York Times reports a story, other outlets recycle the contents of that story and eventually the misinformation is repeated so many times it becomes believable. Davis has witnessed this phenomena before. As an expert in crisis management, he has been the go-to person for Martha Stewart, Penn State, Starbucks, Whole Foods and others who found themselves under fire.
Davis says the latest email controversy is yet another indication of widespread worry that Clinton will succeed in the 2016 Presidential election. “It shows how fearful the Republicans are of Hillary Clinton running for President,” he stated, adding, “Hillary Clinton is going to be the first female President of the United States.”
To hear the full interview with Lanny Davis, visit The Costa Report
