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CBS: Clinton Trying to ‘Play It Safe,’ Hasn’t Held Press Conference in 258 Days

August 18, 2016

The Hillary Clinton campaign is trying to "play if safe" by avoiding the media, CBS reported on Thursday, reminding viewers it has been 258 days since Clinton had held an official press conference.

Holding wide leads in multiple swing states over Donald Trump and projected to have an 88 percent chance to win the presidency, Clinton told supporters at a Philadelphia rally this week to not get "complacent." Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), her running mate, said he always feels like an underdog until he has won his race.

CBS reporter Nancy Cordes noted, however, that Clinton was dodging the media as well. Her last press conference was December 4, 2015.

"As Clinton counts down the days, her campaign strategy is to play it safe," Cordes said. "She has not had an official press conference in 258 days. Her last network interview was nearly three weeks ago, where she got tripped up again answering questions about her emails."

In that Fox News Sunday appearance, Clinton claimed that FBI Director James Comey had characterized her email claims as "truthful." Fact-checkers lambasted the statement as false, with PolitiFact calling rating her comment as "Pants On Fire." Comey’s statements undercut many of Clinton’s claims about her private email server at the State Department.

Cordes referenced a poll in July 1988 that showed Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis leading then-Vice President George H.W. Bush by 17 points in the race to replace Ronald Reagan. Bush, however, would go on to win the race in an electoral landslide to keep the White House in the Republican column.