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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - July 7, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Thursday's Leading Stories
- U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced on Wednesday that the Justice Department would not pursue charges against Hillary Clinton for her private email server use while secretary of state. “Late this afternoon, I met with FBI Director James Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted the investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email system during her time as Secretary of State. I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, year-long investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation,” she said in a statement. Lynch is expected to speak before the House Judiciary Committee next week about the Justice Department’s decision. (U.S. Department of Justice, The New York Times)
- James Comey, the director of the FBI, is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Oversight about his agency’s investigation into Clinton’s private email server and decision to recommend no charges be filed against her. (Reuters)
- The political fallout from these announcements continued throughout Wednesday:
- House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called for Clinton to be the subject of “administrative action” from the State Department. “With no indictment occurring, but a discussion or call for administrative action, I think is the least we can do given how she was so reckless in handling classified information and sending classified information on unsecured servers,” he said during a press conference. Ryan also recommended that Clinton not be granted access to the national security briefings typically offered to presumptive presidential nominees. (The Hill, USA Today)
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Ryan’s suggestion “irresponsible” and “strange,” and asserted that both Clinton and Trump should have access to the national security briefings. She also criticized Republicans for continuing to request another review of Clinton’s private email server and conduct, calling it an "investigation of an investigation of an investigation.” (USA Today)
- In a joint campaign appearance, Donald Trump and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) condemned the lack of charges against Clinton. “They are once again making the case that there are two Americas. There’s the corrupt Washington of the old order and there’s all the rest of us,” Gingrich said. (The Hill)
Polls
- Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump, 47 percent to 42 percent, in a two-way race, according to an Economist/YouGov poll released on Wednesday. With third-party candidates added to the mix, Clinton receives 42 percent, Trump 37, Gary Johnson 4, and Jill Stein 3. (YouGov)
Democrats
- The Clinton and Sanders campaigns are discussing holding a joint campaign event as early as next Tuesday. According to Andrea Mitchell of NBC News, Sanders could endorse Clinton as long as there were "no more hitches” between their campaigns. (The Hill)
Hillary Clinton
- On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton introduced a new student loan reform policy to decrease the indebtedness of college graduates. To be implemented over five years, students from families with a combined income of $125,000 or less would be able to attend in-state public colleges without paying tuition. For families earning less $85,000, the plan would be effective immediately. Graduates would also be able to defer their loans after graduation for three months. (The Washington Post, Hillary for America)
- In a statement on Wednesday, Bernie Sanders praised Clinton’s plan: “This proposal, when implemented, will revolutionize the funding of higher education in America, improve the economic future of our country and make life immediately better for tens of millions of people stuck with high levels of student debt.” (The Los Angeles Times)
- Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) said on Wednesday that when he met with Clinton last week, he “briefly” discussed her vice presidential search. Asked if he would accept the position if it were offered to him, he said, “Oh, sure. I think, especially if you look at the challenges that this country and the world faces right now, if you’re someone who’s asked, that you’re one of the people that can really make a difference and your country needs you, of course you take it seriously.” (Politico)
- Clinton criticized Donald Trump’s business record during a campaign rally in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (TIME, Donald Trump for President)
- On Trump’s qualifications: “Donald Trump says he’s qualified to be President because of his business record. Three weeks ago, he said, and I quote, ‘I’m going to do for the country what I did for my business.’ You know when he says things like that, he’s probably hoping nobody will check up on what he has said. Because what he did for his businesses – and his workers – is nothing to brag about. In fact, it’s shameful.”
- On Trump’s corporate bankruptcies: “Here’s what he said about one of those bankruptcies: ‘I figured,’ he said, ‘it was the bank’s problem, not mine. What the hell did I care?’ I’m guessing many of you have had debt at some point – student loans, mortgages, credit cards. You couldn’t just tell the bank that you just didn’t feel like paying, could you? And here’s an important thing about how Donald Trump operates. He doesn’t default and go bankrupt as a last resort. He does it over and over again on purpose – even though he knows he will leave others empty-handed while he keeps the plane, the helicopter, the penthouse.”
- On lawsuits against Trump and his organizations: “Donald Trump has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past 30 years. That’s one every three days, give or take. And today’s Wednesday, so he’s due for another one. … And many of those lawsuits were filed by ordinary Americans who worked for Donald Trump and never got paid. Painters, waiters, plumbers – people who needed the money they earned, and didn’t get it – not because Donald Trump couldn’t pay, but because he wouldn’t pay. Hundreds of liens have been filed against him by contractors, going back decades. They all tell the same story: I worked for him, I did my job, he wouldn’t pay me what he owed me. One person after another after another.”
- Trump released a statement in response to Clinton’s speech defending his record in Atlantic City and elsewhere. “It is an effective and commonly used practice in business to use bankruptcy proceedings to restructure a business and ultimately save jobs. Nobody understands the economy like I do and no one, especially not Crooked Hillary Clinton, will do more for the economy than I will. I want to bring jobs back to America, while Hillary Clinton wants to get elected to enrich herself with power at the expense of the people. I created thousands of jobs and made a lot of money in Atlantic City, which was what, as a businessman, I am supposed to do for my company and my family—and as President I will make America rich again, and Make America Great Again,” he wrote.
- In a statement released on Wednesday regarding the shooting death of Alton Sterling, an African-American, by two white police officers, Clinton said, “Something is profoundly wrong when so many Americans have reason to believe that our country doesn’t consider them as precious as others because of the color of their skin.” She continued, “Incidents like this one have undermined the trust between police departments and the communities they serve. We need to rebuild that trust. We need to ensure justice is served. That begins with common sense reforms like ending racial profiling, providing better training on de-escalation and implicit bias, and supporting municipalities that refer the investigation and prosecution of police-involved deaths to independent bodies. All over America, there are police officers demonstrating how to protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. We need to learn from and build on those examples.” (The Huffington Post)
Bernie Sanders
- Politico reported that Bernie Sanders was booed during a meeting with House Democrats after he said, “The goal isn’t to win elections, the goal is to transform America.” Some of the representatives also questioned Sanders on when he would run as a Democrat given his caucusing with the party. (Politico)
Republicans
- A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) announced on Wednesday that he would not be attending the Republican National Convention because he was focused on his Senate reelection bid. (U.S. News & World Report)
- According to Trump supporter and Republican National Committee member Randy Evans, 890 delegates back Trump and 680 oppose him. Approximately 900 delegates, then, would be “at play” if an effort to unbind delegates was successfully launched at the convention. The Wall Street Journal also conducted a survey of the Rules Committee members, finding that 20 support the delegates being unbound. Support from 28 committee members would be necessary to get a minority report on the issue to the floor of the convention. (The Wall Street Journal)
- National Review reported on Wednesday that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has launched two new nonprofits in “in an effort to harness his newfound national following with an eye on” the 2020 presidential election. (National Review)
Donald Trump
- U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told The Washington Post on Wednesday that he was removing himself from contention as a potential running mate for Donald Trump. “It’s a highly political job, and that’s not who I am. We had a very open conversation about that, and actually, we have been very candid about it from the very beginning of our meetings. I left there feeling very good about him as a person but also realized that at age 63, I know the things I’m good at doing. And knowing what a candidate for vice president has to do, it’s just not the right thing for me, and I don’t think it’s the right thing for them.” CNN also reported that Corker was willing to serve in Trump’s cabinet as secretary of state or in some other role. (The Washington Post, CNN)
- Trump raised $55 million in June, far exceeding expectations set by his $3.1 million haul in May. In addition to raising $26 million for his campaign and $25 million for a joint fundraising venture with the Republican National Committee, Trump personally contributed $3.8 million. (Reuters)
- Trump’s son-in law, Jared Kushner, published an op-ed in his newspaper, The New York Observer, defending Trump against accusations that he is anti-semitic and racist. The piece was also written in response to an article by his employee, Dana Schwartz, which criticized Trump for tweeting an image with "blatant anti-Semitic imagery." Kushner wrote, “The difference between me and the journalists and Twitter throngs who find it so convenient to dismiss my father in law is simple. I know him and they don’t. It doesn’t take a ton of courage to join a mob. It’s actually the easiest thing to do. What’s a little harder is to weigh carefully a person’s actions over the course of a long and exceptionally distinguished career." (New York Observer)
- During a joint campaign appearance with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) on Wednesday, Trump said, “Newt has been my friend for a long time. And I'm not saying anything, and I'm not telling even Newt anything, but I can tell you, in one form or another, Newt Gingrich is going to be involved with our government." Gingrich has frequently been named as one of the contenders on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist. (ABC News)
- According to Trump’s political director, Jim Murphy, the Trump campaign will focus its efforts on 17 states in the general election: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Absent from this list are the solidly Democratic states New York and California, which Trump previously has said would be competitive for him in the general election. (The Wall Street Journal)
Third Party Candidates
- On Wednesday, FiveThirtyEight reviewed which states have been the most and least receptive to third-party candidates in four recent presidential election cycles. “Regional generalizations aside, two states that stand out in their support for third-party types are Alaska and Maine. Perot almost won Maine in 1992, and Alaska, the same state that gave us Gov. Sarah Palin, was also Nader’s top state. It’s worth pointing out that this isn’t confined to presidential elections, either: Maine has an independent senator (who caucuses with the Democrats) and Alaska has an independent governor. Political culture is challenging to measure, but both states have cultures that prize independence,” FiveThirtyEight noted. (FiveThirtyEight)
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- In a written statement released on Wednesday, Jill Stein criticized the FBI’s decision to not recommend charges be brought against Hillary Clinton when “all the elements necessary to prove a felony violation were found by the FBI investigation." She continued, “[FBI Director James Comey’s] statement undermined the defenses Clinton put forward, stating the FBI found 110 emails on Clinton's server that were classified at the time they were sent or received; eight contained information classified at the highest level, 'top secret,' at the time they were sent. That stands in direct contradiction to Clinton's repeated insistence she never sent or received any classified emails.” (CNN)
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- In an interview with BuzzFeed on Wednesday, Gary Johnson called the footage of the police shooting death of Alton Sterling “very disturbing.” He continued, “If there was no display of a gun, if he didn’t have it in his hand…if his hand wasn’t being suppressed, I don’t get it. I mean, that’s murder.” Johnson said police departments should model themselves after those in cities with the fewest number of shootings. (BuzzFeed)
See also
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Important dates in the 2016 presidential race
- Polls and Straw polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
