Though the race between Clinton and Trump was always expected to tighten in the final days, Comey’s initial announcement was expected, at the very least, to depress turnout on Clinton’s behalf. Her allies and advisers worry it has cost her votes among independents and Republican women who — repelled by Trump — had considered supporting her campaign.
A senior Democrat close to the Clinton campaign told CNN’s Jeff Zeleny Sunday that it was “impossible to fully undo the damage of the last nine days,” but acknowledged there was a sense of relief within the campaign that the matter was resolved.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the top Democrat on the Select Committee on Intelligence, said Sunday that Comey’s initial letter “unfairly hurt the campaign of one candidate and changed the tenor of this election.”
“Today’s letter makes Director Comey’s actions nine days ago even more troubling. There’s no doubt that it created a false impression about the nature of the agency’s inquiry,” Feinstein said in a statement. “I believe the Justice Department needs to take a look at its procedures to prevent similar actions that could influence future elections.”
