Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein said Wednesday that when it comes to answering questions about Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s use of a private, unauthorized email server when she worked at the State Department, Clinton is not telling the full truth.
The scandal surrounding Clinton’s unorthodox email habits has dogged her campaign since even before she announced her candidacy in April. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a criminal probe into whether Clinton’s team sent or received classified state secrets during her tenure at State.
“Politicians lie. Hillary Clinton has been around public life for almost 40 years now and what we see is whenever she is in any kind of trouble, she is unwilling to open up and be transparent,” Bernstein, who is known best for uncovering the Watergate scandal with fellow journalist Bob Woodward, said Wednesday morning on CNN.
“It has dogged her for years and years, and right now it’s the biggest problem with her campaign,” he added.
Clinton also has a problem in the form of the House’s Special Committee on Benghazi, which was formed in response to questions about her role in the events leading up to the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks on U.S. facilities in Libya. Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, died that night after nearly 13 hours of fighting.
“Hillary Clinton has a huge problem because she does not tell the truth very, very often,” Bernstein said.
Following House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggesting in an interview last week that the Benghazi committee was designed to hurt Clinton’s presidential campaign, the former secretary of state, the press and Democratic lawmakers have called on Republicans to disband the group.
Even if they do that, though, Clinton still has a trust and favorability problem with American voters, Bernstein said Monday.
“She has a 60 percent unfavorability and distrustfulness rating in the new polls for reasons. It has to do with the fact she trims the truth and obfuscates, and Democrats are concerned about it, and it’s one of the reasons Joe Biden is in good position if he enters the race,” he said.
“The server question is what has solidified this impression because she’s been less than truthful. She’s been less than open. She has looked for all kinds of excuses, much like she did when she was in the White House as first lady and the travel office debate came up,” he added.
(h/t WFB)
