Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.) claimed Friday that Hillary Clinton is not the target of the ongoing FBI investigation into Clinton’s private email server to see if she mishandled classified information.
Schultz downplayed the investigation in an appearance on Fox News, trying to change the subject to discuss the presidential campaign instead. Clinton is the likely Democratic Party nominee, although she has not yet secured the bid.
Host Bill Hemmer first showed a clip of Clinton calling the FBI’s actions a "security inquiry" rather than a federal investigation and then read FBI Director James Comey’s formal response.
"I don’t know what that means," Comey said this week. "We’re conducting an investigation. That’s the bureau's business ... I’m not familiar with the term ‘security inquiry.’"
"Is [Clinton] taking this as seriously as the FBI is?" Hemmer then asked the DNC chair.
"I think it’s important to underscore that Secretary Clinton isn’t even a target of this inquiry, investigation, whatever 'I' word you want to use," Schultz said.
"How do you know that?" Hemmer asked.
"Because I’ve repeatedly been told that," Schultz stuttered in response. "I mean, my understanding is that Secretary Clinton is not the target of this investigation or inquiry, whatever you want to call it."
"Has the FBI shared that with you?" Hemmer asked.
After looking unsure for a few moments, she said, "I’m only repeating what my understanding is. But beyond that, this election is going to be decided by voters who care about making sure that they have a president who has their back."
Schultz then issued her standard talking points about why she believes a Democrat should be the next president.
"But just come back to my question," Hemmer said. "Yes or no, is she taking this FBI matter seriously?"
"When you release 55,000 pages of emails and demonstrate the transparency that Secretary Clinton has throughout this ‘I word’, yes, most definitely," she said. "And that’s still not what the voters are going to be making their decision on when they decide who they’re voting for president."
Clinton said over the weekend the FBI has not reached out to her for an interview but that she is "more than ready to talk to anybody any time."