Latest Candidate Controversies

We are now less than four months away from the nation’s general election. While this campaign cycle has already been full of fights and big media spotlights, it will only get more so as the decision for who runs the White House approaches. Here are the latest controversies faced by both major party candidates, reactions to these controversies from both supporters and critics, and how the campaigns are dealing with the fallout.

Problems for Hillary Clinton

Earlier this month, over at btw, we brought you news of the FBI’s inquiry into Clinton’s use of a private server to conduct government business during her tenure as Secretary of State. FBI Director James Comey recently announced that the Bureau would not recommend criminal charges against her. Several Republican members of Congress are deeply angered by this decision. In response, two House committee chairmen—Judiciary Committee Chairperson Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah—formerly requested a new probe into whether Clinton committed perjury (lying under oath) during her testimony before Congressional committees during the Benghazi hearings, when she answered questions about her email practices.

This decision by Congress to continue pursuing charges against the Democratic Party candidate has many divided over the intention. Clinton’s campaign spokesman tweeted his belief that these actions were driven by politics, not by a desire to find “truth”. Republicans, on the other hand, believe that the Department of Justice has granted Clinton special treatment, which is unfair. 

Problems for Donald Trump

Controversial, off-the-cuff remarks made by the Republican businessman have become common stories in the news media outlets. One of the latest of these incidents was the response to a question posed by a New York Times reporter who asked if Trump might leave office if elected. The candidate’s response? “I’ll let you know how I feel about it after it happens.” This has left many wondering how serious to take Trump. Some have even speculated that Trump’s is seeking the highest office in the land for “bragging rights,” as unlikely as that sounds. On the other hand, some believe that Trump was just toying with the press and that he wouldn’t be going through all of the rigor and expense of a campaign if he didn’t want the result.

Did You Know? The question of whether Trump will finish out a hypothetical presidency gives us an opportunity to talk about the presidential line of succession. The Founding Fathers had a plan for what happened if something happened to the president. (Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution). However, its vague language made it necessary to create legislation. The Presidential Succession Act was passed in 1792, followed by updates in 1886, and 1947. In 1967, Congress added the 25^th Amendment to the Constitution to further clarify. The current succession order is: the vice president, speaker of the House, president pro tempore of the Senate (this is the person who presides over the Senate when the Vice President is absent), and then goes to the members of the White House Cabinet, beginning with the secretary of State (here is a complete list). In order to assume the office of the president, a person must meet the Constitutional requirements of the office.

What Do You Think? In response to Congress’ court filing against Clinton, the State Department said that releasing all of the emails requested, “would impose an unreasonable burden on the agency.” Do some research and decide if you agree or disagree. Support your answer. Trump is expected to announce a vice president running mate this week. Find out if there is any talk about how or whom was involved in his decision-making process.