BULLETIN – NO FBI RECOMMENDATION FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST CLINTON, BUT HER BEHAVIOR WAS RECKLESS – AT 11:22 A.M. ET: 

In a brilliantly formulated statement on live television, FBI Director James Comey announced that the Bureau will not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for the handling of classified e-mails while she was secretary of state.  However, Comey hardly gave Clinton a clean bill of health.  From CNN:

(CNN)  FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday that he would not recommend charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state but that Clinton and her aides were "extremely careless" handling classified information.

"Our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case," Comey said.
"Although we did not find clear evidence" of intentional misconduct, he added, "There is evidence that they were extremely careless of very sensitive, highly classified information."

Comey said neither the Department of Justice nor the White House knew what he was going to announce Tuesday, and said the FBI investigation it was nearing its end.

While Comey's announcement lifts the immediate legal cloud from Clinton, it does nothing to improve her political situation.  The words "extremely careless" will resonate through this campaign.  If the Republican Party and its presidential nominee were smart, and there are serious questions about that, it would ask the public whether any person so described – "extremely careless" – should be president of the United States.

At least CNN gave us the flavor of what Director Comey said.  I've quickly read through other news reports of his statements, and some didn't even mention his characterization of Clinton's behavior, only noting that no criminal charges will be brought.  They call that slanted journalism.  They call that disgraceful reporting.

I have no doubt that Donald Trump will be out soon with a statement.  I hope he is careful.  There is an old line in politics:  If your opponent is committing suicide, don't stand in the way.  It would be wise for Trump to attack Clinton in a "more in sadness than anger" tone, while making clear his view that Comey's findings disqualify her.

As for Clinton, this will probably be her "Checkers" moment, the need to deliver a speech much like the one Senator Richard M. Nixon delivered in 1952, when running for vice president on Dwight Eisenhower's ticket.  It had been discovered that he had been given a "slush fund" by supporters, and he had to explain it away.  It is called the "Checkers" speech because he told of how his two daughters had been given a dog, which they named Checkers, and that they loved the dog, and that he'd never give it back, no matter what anyone said.  The speech saved Nixon.

That's where it stands we'll monitor the fallout throughout the day.

July 5, 2016