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Jim Vandehei: Clinton's Biggest Problem Is That the FBI 'Dug In'

March 30, 2016

Politico co-founder Jim Vandehei said on Wednesday's Morning Joe that Hillary Clinton's biggest problem when it comes to the scandal surrounding her use of a private server is that the FBI has gotten heavily involved with this case.

"I think the bigger problem is not just the media, it's the FBI," Vandehei said. "Now scores of people at the FBI are dug in on this case and who are leaking lots of material to said reporters."

Vandehei said that the federal judges on the case are making it easier for people to go after the material surrounding the case.

On Tuesday, Politico reported that a federal judge allowed Judicial Watch to pursue legal discovery on details of how Clinton's private email account was fused into the State Department's record-keeping system as well as sworn testimony from State Department officials.

Judge Royce Lamberth, the second federal judge on the case, described Clinton's private server arrangement as "extraordinary." Lamberth also said there was evidence of "government wrongdoing and bad faith."

The Freedom of Information Act suits against the State Department are separate from the ongoing FBI investigation into whether or not there was classified information on Clinton's server.

Vandehei added that the amount of coverage that Clinton receives about her private server proves that people find her untrustworthy.

"We have not paid that much attention to that because we are talking about the unfavorable ratings of Donald Trump, but in all likelihood we are going to head into the general election with two candidates that a majority of Americans think are dishonest," Vandehei said. "This says something about our politics. This says something about how nasty the campaign will be."

Clinton has consistently lost to rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), a 74-year-old Democratic socialist, with voters concerned about honesty and trustworthiness in their candidates.