Obama Hits Campaign Trail as Clinton Clashes With FBI Director Over Email Questions
The president finds himself in the unenviable position.
— -- With just a week until Election Day, President Obama will hit the campaign trail today in an effort to bolster the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee whose campaign was dealt a blow last week when FBI Director James Comey, an Obama appointee, informed Congress that his investigators would be reviewing emails that could be “pertinent” to the investigation into Clinton’s private email server.
The FBI had closed its initial investigation into whether Clinton had mishandled classified information as secretary of state in July.
The president finds himself in the unenviable position of being pinned between the woman he hopes to succeed him in the White House and a member of his own administration, who set off a campaign firestorm with his unexpected announcement last week.
Obama, who has seen his approval ratings top 50 percent in recent months, will sweep through key battleground states in the final days of this heated election as Clinton’s campaign has gone on the offensive against Comey. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Donald Trump has used the news as a political bludgeon against Clinton.
Comey has come under criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for notifying lawmakers about the discovery of the emails just a few days before the election. Comey's letter provided few details and Clinton has called the move “strange,” “unprecedented” and “deeply troubling." The president has not directly commented on the matter.
Josh Earnest, Obama's press secretary, on Monday praised Comey as a man of “good character," but said the White House would be careful to avoid even the appearance of interference and would not “defend” or “criticize” Comey.
Obama’s plan to campaign for Clinton was set in motion before the Comey announcement and comes as a new ABC poll shows 46 percent of likely voters support Trump compared to 45 percent who support Clinton.
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