Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine said Sunday that the FBI’s renewing of its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails wasn’t responsible for the tightening of the race but actually had energized their supporters.
“We’ve seen an add to the energy on our side. People on our side view this campaign as so important. The ’Stronger Together’ message is so important. And people don’t want to be distracted,” Mr. Kaine said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“There has been a great uptick in energy on our side in early voting,” he said.
The race tightened significantly after FBI Director James Comey announced Oct. 28 the renewed investigation into Mrs. Clinton for using a secret email server as secretary of state. Recent polls show a neck-and-neck race between Mrs. Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump across most battleground states.
Discounting the investigation’s drag on the ticket, Mr. Kaine said the effect of the FBI probe would be a “wash” when the votes are counted Tuesday.
Mr. Kaine, a U.S. Senator from Virginia, said reports of turmoil inside the FBI generated more enthusiasm for Mrs. Clinton.
“I think at the end of the day it’s probably going to be a net wash,” he said. “There was some concern. But then as more information has come out about internal turmoil within the FBI, it generated energy. And more than anything, I think Hillary’s point of view is, ’Look, let’s not get distracted.’”
The reports of turmoil inside the FBI, however, mostly involved agents who were angered over how the original investigation was handled and Mr. Comey’s recommendation in July against pursuing charges.
“We’re making our case about a nation that’s stronger together that builds an economy that works for everybody and promotes the right view of American leadership in the world,” said Mr. Kaine. “That’s what voters want to hear about. And we’re going to stay focused on that through the end.”
Mr. Comey ended the original year-long investigation in July, saying he would not recommend criminal prosecution although Mrs. Clinton was “extremely careless” with government secrets and mishandled classified information.
He reopened the case after FBI agents discovered more than 650,000 new emails on the laptop of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s now-estranged husband Anthony Weiner, who is under investigation for sexting with a 15-year-old girl.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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