It’s been a pretty strange world ever since FBI Director James Comey decided to break with what is apparently some sort of federal law enforcement tradition and announce that the bureau is in full “Anthony Weiner: Sum Of All Fears” mode on the Hillary Clinton email beat. The media has frantically glommed on to further their “tightening” narrative. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is back for one last turn as a dark rumor-monger. And even die-hard Clinton critics such as former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) have stepped forward to say that Comey has cocked things up to a fare-thee-well.
In this environment, I’m almost relieved to see talk-radio superstar Hugh Hewitt just get down to some of that good old-fashioned partisan hackery. On Monday’s edition of “MSNBC Live,” Hewitt told host Steve Kornacki that if the FBI is able to quickly conclude that there’s nothing amiss with the new cache of emails it is said to be poring through, they should just hold off, and not tell anyone. Let’s just have a cloud of suspicion until the election is done and dusted!
KORNACKI: Hugh Hewitt, between now and the election, what more do you think James Comey owes the public? What specifically should he be saying between now and the election?
HEWITT: Only if there is a smoking gun do I think he ought to come forward. An exoneration would be wildly viewed as rigged.
In the context of Clinton’s email scandal, I’m not sure we’ll ever be to the point where there will be an “exoneration.” (Comey has already characterized Clinton’s handling of emails as “careless,” after all.) But apparently if there is reason to dispel the cloud of suspicion that Comey has recently brought into being, it would actually be widely viewed as “unrigging” things. It already looks like Comey has (perhaps unintentionally) put his finger on the scales.
In other news ― and apropos of nothing, I’m sure ― Hewitt thinks Democrats should vote for Green Party nominee Jill Stein. Cool, cool. I’m sure that’s totally sincere.
Jason Linkins edits “Eat The Press” for The Huffington Post and co-hosts the HuffPost Politics podcast “So, That Happened.” Subscribe here, and listen to the latest episode below.