Say what you like about Donald Trump, but he knows how to rile presidential historians. Thus, on hearing that the FBI was to reopen an investigation into emails related to Hillary Clinton, he told a delighted New Hampshire audience that this was “bigger than Watergate”.
Emailgate is not bigger than Watergate. Not yet, anyway. Clinton was severely admonished in July by James Comey, the FBI director, for her “gross negligence” in handling classified information on a private email server, but on the evidence available then he decided not to prosecute.
Comey has since been notified of further emails that “appear to be pertinent” to his earlier investigation of Clinton, which has therefore been reopened.
It is possible that the FBI has new evidence of a conflict of interest or mishandling of classified material that warrants prosecution. Equally, it is possible that the new material proves significant only in that it consists of emails reportedly stored on a laptop shared by Huma Abedin, Clinton’s close aide, and Abedin’s ex-husband, a disgraced sexter. What is clear at this point is that it is wrong for American voters to be left guessing so close to polling day. Comey appears to have been anxious not to be seen to have influenced the election in Clinton’s favour by saying nothing about the laptop. He is now in danger of influencing the election in Trump’s favour by not saying enough about it. He should call a Press conference and, within reason, tell reporters everything he knows.
Watergate was a conspiracy led by a sitting president in which 48 people pleaded guilty. Emailgate, so far, is a digital smoke cloud in which dozens of FBI agents are looking for a fire. They may yet find one but they must follow the evidence, not the clamour of an overheated campaign.
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