How Clinton's campaign is dealing with WikiLeaks email releases
Targeted by hacks on its chairman, the Clinton campaign laid out an aggressive response on Friday to WikiLeaks鈥� publication of a new batch of emails, pinning the group鈥檚 ongoing series of leaks on Russia and framing them as a threat to national security 鈥� one effectively sanctioned, they said, by Donald Trump and even the news media.
In a conference call with reporters, Clinton campaign national-security advisors accused Mr. Trump of 鈥渦sing Moscow talking points鈥� when reading from leaked emails at rallies. They suggested that Trump campaign advisors, such as Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, could have had a hand in 鈥済etting this material out鈥� through relationships with the Russians, .
And the national media, Clinton advisors said, had focused unduly on the insider campaign details contained in the emails 鈥� which the campaign has suggested may have been doctored before release 鈥� rather than 鈥渢he significance of this act of cyber-sabotage鈥�, as national-security advisor Jamie Rubin put it to the Hill.
The Clinton campaign鈥檚 increasingly hawkish tone, coming as her opponent鈥檚 polling numbers sink, likely amounts to a battening-down of the hatches in the final weeks before the election, say political analysts. It might also be a bet on partisanship over ideology, when it comes to the making of public opinion.
Certain Americans might share ideologies that gel or contrast with the open access to otherwise private government communications, says Joshua Dyck, political science professor and co-director of University of Massachusetts-Lowell鈥檚 Center for Public Opinion.聽
A 2010 survey conducted by the Pew Center to see WikiLeaks鈥� dump of classified State Department communications as harmful to the national interest. Back then, 75 percent of Republicans saw it as damaging, compared to 53 percent of Democrats.
But most of the public, Dr. Dyck tells 海角大神, is 鈥渕ore partisan than they are ideological, so they鈥檙e more willing to follow candidates鈥� when it comes to deciding how they feel about the leaks, and how much they care about them.
鈥淚 think most Americans view [WikiLeaks鈥� releases] through the lens of party ID and support for candidates,鈥� he says.
Mrs. Clinton鈥檚 case might be aided by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange鈥檚 suggestions that he possesses personal enmity toward the candidate, as a 鈥渄emon that is going to put nooses around everyone鈥檚 necks鈥� and a prominent proponent of indicting him for earlier leaks.
In an essay published on Medium on Saturday, Mr. Assange of having 鈥渨ell-documented ties to the Kremlin鈥� and referred to Trump advisor Roger Stone鈥檚 claim that he had been in communication with the WikiLeaks founder through a third party.
Mr. Caplin also likened the email hacks to the 1972 Watergate break-ins at Democratic National Committee headquarters.
鈥淔our decades later, we鈥檙e witnessing another effort to steal private campaign documents in order to influence an election. Only this time, instead of filing cabinets, it鈥檚 people鈥檚 emails they鈥檙e breaking into鈥� and a foreign government is behind it,鈥� he wrote.
The Clinton campaign鈥檚 claims of secret collaboration between Trump, WikiLeaks, and Russia might also be an appeal to the Republican Party鈥檚 foreign policy elites, whose unwillingness to embrace Trump could keep voter turnout low, reasons Dr. Dyck.
鈥淭his part of the campaign is about turnout," he says. "Clinton clearly has a significant advantage in creating a rift.鈥�
