OPINION:
Hillary Clinton suffers from a major honesty problem (in poll after poll, the majority of Americans think she’s untrustworthy), and the way her campaign dismissed and withheld information about her health should rightfully lead many to question the status of it.
In the weeks before her very public collapse at the 9/11 memorial service on Sunday, her campaign dismissed any questions regarding her health as if they were distasteful and, even, sexist.
After Donald Trump questioned Mrs. Clinton’s “mental and physical stamina” last month, Mrs. Clinton’s spokeswoman said the comments were “deranged conspiracy theories” and “parroted lies.”
Last week, when Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, had a minute-long coughing fit during one of her rallies (we know now, she probably was developing or had pneumonia), some in the press questioned her health — and then were attacked by Mrs. Clinton’s campaign.
After NBC wrote a story on it, a Clinton spokesman mocked the author on Twitter.
“Dear @AndrewNBCNews. Get a life. Thanks. Nick,” wrote Nick Merill, Mrs. Clinton’s spokesman.
Mr. Merill wrote a similar remark to a Breitbart reporter.
Mrs. Clinton, her campaign admitted, was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday. It’s a pretty serious condition for senior citizens — Mrs. Clinton, at age 68, qualifies. Was that information released to the press? No.
It also wasn’t disclosed after Mrs. Clinton left the 9/11 Memorial early and her traveling press corp began to buzz. She left them at the memorial with absolutely no idea of her whereabouts for an hour and a half. After social media reached a fever pitch on what happened to Mrs. Clinton, her campaign said she left for her daughter’s apartment because she was “overheated.”
Why didn’t they say she had pneumonia? A few hours later, Mrs. Clinton emerged from her daughter’s house, waving and hugged a little girl.
“I’m feeling great,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day in New York.”
That was obviously a lie. She was dehydrated and had pneumonia, we would find out later.
It was only after video surfaced — and was authenticated by major news outlets and being run on both cable and network news — of Mrs. Clinton’s departure from Ground Zero, showing her hobbling and buckling over getting into a van, did Mrs. Clinton’s team decide to come clean, I guess.
“On Friday, during follow up evaluation of her prolonged cough, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning’s event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely,” Dr. Lisa R. Bardack, Mrs. Clinton’s physician, said Sunday in a statement.
That statement was released around 5:30 p.m., about eight hours after the incident at Ground Zero. Why the time delay?
The bottom line is Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has been and will be shrouded in secrecy. She values her privacy above all else, and her campaign never had any plans to release her sickness had a video never surfaced, forcing their hand. A similar story played out with her email server.
The press should press Mrs. Clinton on this issue. Mr. Trump, on Monday, said he would release his health records by Friday, and Mrs. Clinton should do the same.
Given that she’s had blood clots and suffered a concussion a few years back, she should have a full neurological write-up and disclose it to the press. Sen. John McCain in 2008 did that with his medical records after President Obama pressed him on his health issues. Then-Sen. Bob Dole, in 1996, did the same after being pressured by former President Bill Clinton.
Instead, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign will likely deride this latest health issue as a ridiculous “deranged conspiracy theory.” Or better yet, tell the press to “get a life.”
And for that, the press and public should be wary.
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