Clinton bemoans ‘drip, drip, drip’ of email news

Hillary Clinton acknowledged in a Sunday interview that she’s been politically damaged by the “drip, drip, drip” of controversy surrounding her use of a personal email account and server as secretary of State.

{mosads}“It is like a drip, drip, drip. That’s why I’ve said there’s only so much I can control,” Clinton said in an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“What I have tried to do in explaining this is provide more transparency and more information than anyone who I am aware of who has ever served in the government, and I’m happy to do that because I want these questions to be answered.”

While Democrats have been frustrated by the drawn-out controversy over the emails, and Clinton’s inability to get out in front on the issue, the former secretary of State insisted she’s done all she can to put the matter to rest.

“I have done all that I can to take responsibility, to be as transparent as possible in turning over 55,000 pages [of emails], in turning over my server, and to testify on Oct. 22, which I’ve been asking to do before Congress,” Clinton said.

Clinton has been dogged by the email controversy for months now, and it’s taken a toll on her polling numbers.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) has surpassed Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first to states to cast ballots in the Democratic presidential nominating process.

Furthermore, a strong majority of voters say that they don’t believe Clinton to be honest or trustworthy.

On Sunday, Clinton reiterated that she regrets her decision to use a private email account and server, saying it was a matter of convenience. Clinton said the decision came during a “transition period” and that she was never “that focused on my email account.”

Clinton explained that the email system she used was part of her husband, former President Bill Clinton’s personal office, so it was up and running in their home and she simply adopted it when she became secretary of State.

“It was sitting there in the basement,” Clinton said. “It was not any trouble at all. I know a lot of people are questioning that, but the fact is that it was there and I added my account to it. “

Clinton dismissed the notion that she set up the private account and server to make it more difficult for her government officials or her political enemies to gather information on her record as she seeks the White House.

“That’s totally ridiculous, that never crossed my mind,” Clinton said.

Clinton said she has complied with all State Department and congressional requests for documentation since then by requesting the release of 55,000 pages of emails, turning over her work-related emails and server for review, and requesting the opportunity to testify before Congress.


But she also swiped at Republicans, who she said have been harassing her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for years.

“During the 90s, there were a bunch of [conspiracy theories], all of them turned out to be not true,” Clinton said. “That was the outcome. When I ran for Senate, the voters of New York overlooked all of that and looked at my record and looked at what I would do for them, and I was elected senator after going through years of this kind of back and forth. It’s regrettable but it’s part of the system.”

Still, the drip of news continues.

Last week, new emails surfaced that show Clinton corresponding with Gen. David Petraeus, raising questions about whether some of the emails she and her staff deemed personal might have been work-related.

“Everything we had access to was certainly out there and the reason we know about the email chain from General Petraeus was because it was on a government server,” Clinton explained.

“So from my perspective we have a very thorough review process that we conducted and my attorneys supervised it and went through everything, and what we had available at the time was turned over.”

Anchor Chuck Todd gave the Clinton the opportunity on several occasions to tell nervous Democrats that the drip of bad news was over, but Clinton said she has no control over “what kind of charges or claims” Republicans might make next.

“I want these questions to be answered,” Clinton said. “I can’t [predict to you what Republicans will come up with, what kind of charges or claims they might make. I have no control over that. I can only do the best that I can to try and respond.”

“Like I said, back in the 90s I was subjected to the same kind of barrage, and it seemed to be at the time endless,” Clinton continued. “And then when I ran for the Senate, people said, hey we’re more concerned about what you’re going to do for us, and I trust the voters to make that decision this time too.”

–This report was updated at 9:34 a.m..

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