Will House Democrats stand by Hillary as criminal probe deepens?

Two new stories highlighting the FBI criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server show the investigation is focusing in on Clinton and her top aides. One former aide has now been granted immunity in exchange for his cooperation. Will House Democrats continue to stand by Clinton through her primary fight with Bernie Sanders, as possible criminal charges loom? Or will they begin to throw their support to the socialist Senator from Vermont?

• The New York Times reports that former Clinton aide Bryan Pagliano, who installed Clinton’s private email server, has been granted immunity in exchange for his cooperation with the FBI’s criminal investigation.
  • Pagliano previously invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to not testify before Congress regarding Clinton’s email server.
• New reports show that the FBI is likely to question Clinton and her top aides in the coming weeks.
  • This news comes after last week’s decision by a federal judge to compel Clinton aides to be deposed in a separate legal proceeding related to a Freedom of Information Act request regarding Huma Abedin’s special employment status.
• After the final email release by the State Department, 2,115 emails from Clinton’s private server have been identified as containing classified information, including 22 identified as top secret and 65 as secret.
• The Washington Post quoted a former senior law enforcement official saying, regarding Clinton’s email server, “There was wrongdoing.”
• Despite the increasingly troubling revelations regarding Clinton’s email scandal, she has been endorsed by over 150 House Democrats, including Rick Nolan, Ami Bera, Brad Ashford, Pete Aguilar, Raul Ruiz, Scott Peters, and Sean Patrick Maloney.
• Clinton’s favorability remains underwater nationally, standing at 42.2%-51.4% according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.

NRCC COMMENT: “As Hillary Clinton’s email scandal deepens, and it becomes increasingly likely that her campaign will have to be conducted from a jail cell this fall, House Democrats will have to make a choice. Will they continue to stand with Hillary Clinton despite her possible criminal wrongdoing? Or will they throw their support to Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed socialist. Either way, House Democrats should be very worried about the effect the top of the ticket will have on their reelection prospects.” – Bob Salera, NRCC Spokesman

Background:

Justice Dept. grants immunity to staffer who set up Clinton email server. “The Justice Department has granted immunity to a former State Department staffer, who worked on Hillary Clinton’s private email server, as part of a criminal investigation into the possible mishandling of classified information, according to a senior law enforcement official… As the FBI looks to wrap up its investigation in the coming months, agents are likely to want to interview Clinton and her senior aides about the decision to use a private server, how it was set up, and whether any of the participants knew they were sending classified information in emails, current and former officials said.” (Adam Goldman, The Washington Post, 2/2/16)

As Presidential Campaign Unfolds, So Do Inquiries Into Clinton’s Emails. “Foremost among a half-dozen inquiries and legal proceedings into whether classified information was sent through Mrs. Clinton’s server is an investigation by the F.B.I., whose agents, according to one law enforcement official, could seek to question Mrs. Clinton’s closest aides and possibly the candidate herself within weeks… The F.B.I.’s case did begin as a security referral from the inspectors general of the State Department and the nation’s intelligence agencies, who were concerned that classified information might have been stored outside a secure government network. But multiple law enforcement officials said the matter quickly became an investigation into whether anyone had committed a crime in handling classified information.” (Steven Lee Myers and Matt Apuzzo, The New York Times, 2/2/16)

Democrats hope for Hillary coattails. “Her campaign is still in its infancy. The presidential election is nearly 18 months away. But Democrats are already banking on a “Hillary effect,” an anticipated wave that will lift the party’s fortunes up and down the ticket… Clinton’s campaign, however, could be a boon in some of the biggest and bluest states — like New York and Illinois — where Clinton has roots and is likely to outperform her national numbers.” (Kyle Cheney, Theodoric Meyer, and Elena Schneider, Politico, 5/27/15)

The Endorsement Primary – FiveThirtyEight

Real Clear Politics: Clinton: Favorable/Unfavorable