Conspiracy-minded, fact-challenged conservatives have whipped themselves into a lather of a narrative about Hillary Clinton, one that demands she be jailed immediately for … something. You want reasons? She supposedly helped Bill Clinton cover up rape, helped another rapist beat the rap, stole money from the Clinton Foundation, willfully caused the death of State Department personnel in Benghazi, made deals with our enemies as secretary of State to enrich her family, and endangered national security by sending emails from a private server — one, incidentally, that wasn’t hacked by Russian intelligence.
And maybe, just maybe, one of those will be validated by reality. Worth a shot, right?
{mosads}In truth, there is zero evidence to support any of those allegations despite the best efforts of the entire conservative movement and much of the media. If the Clinton Foundation suffered a fraction of the problems of Trump’s, the media outrage would be deafening, yet not a single instance of quid pro quo has been unearthed.
Seven Republican investigations into the Benghazi, Libya, terror attacks found nothing. So, they became probes of her emails, hoping to find something, anything, to pin on her. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing incriminating, illegal, or untoward. Nothing.
So now, during an unrelated investigation into scumbag Anthony Weiner, the FBI may have found something of relevance, but who knows? We’ll just make a big announcement, so that everyone can assume the worst of Clinton, yet again, without a single fact to buttress the hysteria. And really, what could possibly be in those emails that would justify this witch-hunt atmosphere? Emails to al Qaeda giving them directions to our facility in Benghazi?
Of course, there’s zero interest in the truth. Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt said the FBI should only comment further on those new emails if anything of substance is found. Otherwise, clearing Clinton yet again would only be perceived as “rigging” the election. Very convenient. She’s guilty if she did it, guilty if she didn’t. But then again, how is that different than the GOP’s decades-long crusade against her?
And even if those emails prove to be innocuous and irrelevant, we can probably expect a new round of investigations into Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s use of different computers to access her emails. Because, you know, if you at first don’t succeed, try, try again.
Meanwhile, as FBI Director James Comey stokes the anti-Clinton cause with selective leaks, he refuses to comment on something of real substance: the apparent link between Russia and the Trump campaign. Or as Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wrote in a letter to the director, “in my communications with you … it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisers, and the Russian government — a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States.” Yet at least one source told CNBC that Comey has refused to publicly reveal that information for fear of affecting the election. Or, more aptly, for fear of affecting Trump’s electoral chances.
Of course, this is all Sturm und Drang, as few if any minds are being changed. People are locked into their partisan preferences, and no new Trump tapes or Clinton emails will change any votes. The choices of our electorate are baked in.
But that won’t stop Republicans from continuing their witch hunt once Clinton is in office, no matter how lacking any evidence might be.
Moulitsas is the founder and publisher of Daily Kos.