And you thought the Republican National Convention got off to a bumpy start.

In the end, Donald Trump’s promise to reduce crime, terrorism and immigration in America eclipsed his wife’s plagiarism and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement last week, giving Trump an expected post-convention bump in the polls. Now Hillary Clinton has an unforeseen hurdle of her own to clear during the Democratic National Convention, stemming from the last thing on Earth she probably saw coming: another email scandal.

× The FBI is investigating how thousands of Democratic National Committee emails were hacked. Hillary Clinton’s campaign maintains the breach was committed by Russian intelligence agencies to benefit Donald Trump.

After months of complaints from Trump and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders about a rigged political system that favors people in power like the Clintons, talk of just such a conspiracy dominated the Democratic National Convention on day one.


On top of Clinton’s own controversial use of a private email server when she was secretary of state, WikiLeaks went public Friday with about 20,000 emails from Democratic National Committee leaders showing they worked against Sanders to secure Clinton the nomination instead of remaining neutral. Sanders’ speech Monday night was supposed to unify the party, but the day began with Sanders being booed when he urged Democrats to “defeat Donald Trump” and “elect Hillary Clinton.” Some supporters even chanted a line lifted from the loud crowds at the Republican National Convention: “Lock her up.” Later, the mention of Clinton’s name in the convention’s opening prayer prompted boos and chants of “Bernie!” Finally, the Democratic National Committee issued a “deep and sincere” apology for officials’ “inexcusable” emails.

With that, the party seemed suddenly to have an uphill climb to unity.

The revelations in the email — among them that DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz called Sanders’ campaign manager a “damn liar” and that Sanders’ faith should be questioned and used against him during the primaries — mean Sanders supporters may be less inclined to support or vote for Clinton and that Trump has a new line of attack to use against her. They also mean more uncertainty for independents and undecided voters.

Wasserman Schultz said Sunday she would resign from the Democratic committee but then originally guaranteed the story would live on for days by signaling she would open and close the convention, remaining its public face. Her exit seems to be coming quicker now: Someone else banged a gavel on Monday to call the convention to order.


Or disorder, as the case may be.

As this election of two historically disliked candidates continues, let’s see how Clinton handles this controversy. Will she acknowledge or disavow the DNC’s favoritism? Will she suggest it had nothing to do with her or downplay the emails? Will she argue, as her campaign manager did on Sunday, that the emails are part of a Russian plot to help Trump?

This editorial board thinks Trump is a fickle, dangerous demagogue who wrongly wants to close off America from the world, but we have reservations about Clinton’s approach to foreign policy, for one example, and her trustworthiness, for another. Clinton’s challenge now is persuading skeptical voters her leadership style fits this fractious world.

See also: National conventions show how Trump, Clinton may govern