Hillary Clinton acknowledged Friday the challenge she’d face leading a country where most Americans don’t trust her, saying she takes “seriously” the work she must do to build confidence in her character.
But the Democratic presidential nominee also claimed that a broad electoral victory over Donald Trump in November would give her the capital needed to push her plans through Congress with Republican support and appeared to blame her political opponents for her low approval ratings.
Clinton pointed to the high ratings she won as secretary of state and as a senator from New York, arguing that voters like her more when she’s working than when she’s campaigning — something she attributed to campaign attacks on her character.
“Were 67 percent of the people in New York wrong? Were 66 percent of the American public wrong?” Clinton said. “Just maybe, when I’m actually running for a job, there is a real benefit to those on the other side with trying to stir up as much trouble as possible.”
Clinton’s trustworthiness has emerged as her biggest weakness in the fall campaign, one worsened by her responses to questions about her use of private emails servers as secretary of state and her reluctance to take regular questions from journalists.
The questions-and-answer session Friday at a joint meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists marked the first time she’s talked about how that political problem could impact her future administration.
Clinton attempted to “clarify and explain” a recent statement on “Fox News Sunday” that FBI Director James Comey had said her answers about her emails practices were “truthful.”
“I may have short-circuited and for that I will try to clarify,” she said. Comey was speaking solely about her responses in a closed-door FBI interview, and not her public comments on the issue, which have included inconsistencies.
Clinton has claimed she never sent or received anything marked classified. In reviewing the FBI’s investigation, Comey said seven e-mail chains dealt with matters that were “that were classified at the Top Secret/Special Access Program level when they were sent and received.”
During the short question-and-answer session, Clinton also detailed some of her plans should she win the White House, promising to make an overhaul of America’s immigration system a “clear, high priority.”
She argued that a broad victory, one that included Democrats winning control of the Senate and tightening their margin in the House, would put pressure on Republicans to come along.
“There’s nothing like winning to change minds,” she said. “I view the political landscape as increasingly favorable to us making this happen.”
That logic would depend on Republicans changing the political calculus they’ve made over the past eight years. Even when President Barack Obama held majorities in both the Senate and House during his first term, he was still unable to find widespread Republican support for his plans.
Her comments Friday came before an unusual audience: the media. Clinton last held a formal press conference more than eight months ago. Aides says she’s conducted over 300 interviews since launching her campaign, but she has shied away from open forums where reporters can ask questions.
Friday’s event was carefully controlled, with Clinton taking just seven questions from preselected journalists.
(AP)
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11 Responses
What a lying corrupted woman.
anyone who will vote for her needs their head to be examined.
She will sell Israel the first day in office, G-d forbid.
Sounds just like when Bambi used to blame Bush for everything! Hey, it worked for him so now his wannabee successor is engaging the same method! If it worked for the goose let it work for the gander just the same, she reasons!
She don’t get it! Ron Brown, Vince Foster, Travelgate, Hillary’s medical insurance overhaul initiative debacle etc., etc. etc. have nothing to do with the GOP, lady, it is all about you and Bill!
Lies and more lies. Even the her lying she is blaming the GOP. How anybody in their right mind could vote for her. Rashi states nobody tells an outright lies, she does. Like the time she claims they landed under fire where it showed she gave a press conference and there was no fire. Like when she denies her involvement with the 4 deaths in Benghazi, about erasing 33,000 emails.
She opens her mouth and the GOP comes out?
Wow! What a pathetic phony. Her royal highness gives her first press conference in 8 months while running for the presidency and then only takes 7 questions from pre-selected journalists! Will she demand the right to pre-select the questions for the debates as well?!
why that fuss!!! she will never lead anyway!!
Sad to say many of our liberal Jewish brothers think she is the better choice hashem yerachem
HOW CAN ONE VOTE FOR SUCH A CORRUPT LIAR. ANYONE – EVEN TRUMP WOUKLD BE BETTER THAN HER……
The “right-wing conspiracy” forced her to trade cattle futures that returned a 9,987% profit. Those horrible Republicans mysteriously killed all of the Clinton enemies – including Vince Foster. The GOP formed various organizations to enable the Clinton Administration’s IRS to conduct “random audits”. Likewise, during the Clinton era, former Republican officials acted in a way that required FBI surveillance. Talk radio and Fox News fabricated various stories on Bill Clinton’s immorality, but, as Bill Clinton said at the time, nothing ever happened (just like he didn’t inhale). Hillary also didn’t bully those unfortunate women, including those she worked against as a lawyer at Rose Law Firm – where her files, by the way, disappeared – but the GOP framed her. Her home brew server was the work of a Republican voter, most probably, who gypped her into deleting her emails. The “right-wing conspiracy” was so vicious and even arranged that four people should be killed in Benghazi to make her look bad.
The only good thing going for her is that she’s facing a person that is even less trusted than her (not an easy feat of you’re not named Donald Trump).
hillary, it’s always easier to blame others. it seems to have worked with others in the past, so why not give it a shot now? but hillary, i’m sure you don’t consult the holy books. yaish din veyesh Dayan (roughly translated: there’s judgement and there’s a Judge). just like comment #1 says: anyone that votes for her has to have his head examined!
Nice comment, Dave 👍🏻👌