Donald Trump is pleased with the FBI’s decision to review new emails related to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. His faith is being restored in the US government and political system and in his own campaign.
“What happened today, starting with the FBI, maybe the system will become a little less rigged. Beautiful,” the Republican nominee, who has repeatedly questioned what he deems a “rigged system” against him, said Friday night. It was the third and final rally of a day he argued has breathed new life into his struggling campaign.
He argued his campaign is “really moving” in light of what he termed a “disaster” for Clinton’s campaign and then the billionaire showman even capped off the outdoors rally on a riverbank here with a flashy fireworks display.
“The FBI would not have reopened this case at this time unless it were a most egregious offense,” Trump argued, even though the FBI has not said it is formally reopening the investigation into Clinton’s email server. “I’ve had a lot of words about the FBI lately, but I give them great credit for having the courage to right this horrible wrong.”
Pivoting back to his campaign, he added: “We’ve had gaps, but we are really moving. I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”
Earlier in the day, FBI Director James Comey announced in a letter to members of Congress that through “an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear pertinent to the investigation” of Clinton’s email server. Comey directed investigators to “review these emails to determine whether they contained classified information.”
The decision, which fell nearly four months after the FBI recommended no criminal charges following its investigation into Clinton’s private email server, rocked the political world on Friday. It came just 11 days before Election Day as Trump faces a steep and narrow path to victory following a series of damaging revelations in recent weeks — including sexual assault allegations and audio of Trump bragging about being able to grope women.
If the fireworks shed light on Trump’s mood, his supporters’ ear-shattering shrieks, applause and chants of “Lock her up!” at each of his three rallies when Trump raised the “critical breaking news” left no doubt the FBI’s surprise decision had reinvigorated his biggest fans.
First pouncing on the news at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump first expressed hope that the FBI will “right the horrible mistake that they made” and lambasted Clinton as a corrupt candidate, even though no new evidence came to light on Friday.
“Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must never let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,” Trump said, reading from prepared remarks. “I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made.”
Clinton reacted to the FBI announcement during a brief news conference Friday afternoon, urging the FBI to release “full and complete facts immediately.”
“The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not. I’m confident, whatever they are, will not change the conclusion reached in July. Therefore, it’s imperative that the bureau explain this issue in question, whatever it is, without any delay,” Clinton said.
A few hours later, Trump lobbed another attack at Clinton during a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, accusing Clinton of trying to “politicize this investigation” and of “attacking and falsely accusing the FBI director,” noting that Clinton claimed Comey sent a letter only to Republican members of Congress. The FBI director also sent the letter to top Democrats as well.
“The FBI would not have reopened this case at this time unless it were a most egregious offense,” Trump argued in Cedar Rapids.
