By ANDREW ROSENTHAL
Hillary Clinton, who seems to have been running for president one way or another for many years now, is reported to be planning to announce her candidacy formally on Sunday for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
The anti-Clinton machine is going to go berserk. It’s been operating at high speed for a long time now, financed by a lot of dark money. There is hardly a day in which I do not get at least two or three emails trying to raise money to oppose Mrs. Clinton, or attacking her every move and utterance.
Today, the Republicans released an ad called “Stop Hillary.” Among other things, it attacked her for using her personal email account while she was Secretary of State. That was a huge blunder. But it’s also gigantically hypocritical for the Republicans to single her out. Where are Colin Powell’s emails? Or Condoleezza Rice’s emails? Or those of any congressman you care to name?
It’s one thing for the Republican Party to attack Mrs. Clinton. And, as anti-democratic and distasteful as they are, other “independent” ads fueled by dark money have become part of the political scene. I’m not sure how much voters know about them, but polls show they don’t like the idea.
But would it be O.K. for Republicans in Congress to use the power of their majority in both houses to campaign against Mrs. Clinton in the coming 18 or so months? I’m sure that will happen.
Expect more pointless hearings on Benghazi, for which Republicans have been trying to blame Mrs. Clinton since it happened. There will also be more investigations and hearings into Mrs. Clinton’s inexplicable behavior with her emails. That’s a legitimate area of inquiry, but I’m sure House and Senate Republicans will take the inquiry way beyond any reasonable limit or time frame. Once their questions are answered, as they have been on Benghazi, they will just go on having hearings anyway.
Politicians are free to support any candidate they choose, just like any other American. But I don’t think Congress should be used as an institution to interfere in presidential politics. I fear it will be, and I hope I’m wrong.
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