Journalists put Hillary Clinton on the spot Friday over her claims that FBI director James Comey had said her answers to its investigators were ‘truthful’

Hillary Clinton has admitted that she may have “short-circuited” her answers to media questions about the way she handled classified emails.

The former secretary of state insisted on Friday that she did not misrepresent FBI director James Comey’s findings on the issue that continues to dog her presidential campaign.

FBI director: charging Hillary Clinton in email case would be 'celebrity hunting' Read more

Addressing a convention of African American and Latino journalists in Washington, Clinton was put on the spot over recent statements she gave to two interviewers in which she claimed Comey had said her answers to its investigators were “truthful” and this was consistent with what she told the American people.

Critics argued that, while Comey did not assert she lied to the FBI, nor did he pass judgment on whether she told the truth to ordinary Americans. Clinton received a damning “pants on fire” verdict from the Politifact website.

Last month, Clinton was found to have been “extremely careless” but not criminal by the FBI, which did not recommend pressing charges that would almost certainly have torpedoed her run for the White House. But the controversy has continued to burn and her rare appearance on Fox News put it back on the media agenda.

“I was pointing out in both of those instances that Director Comey had said that my answers in my FBI interview were truthful – that’s really the bottom line here,” Clinton said. “And I have said during the interview and in many other occasions over the past months that what I told the FBI, which he said was truthful, is consistent with what I have said publicly.”

Clinton said: “So I may have short-circuited, and for that I will try to clarify, because I think Chris Wallace [of Fox News] and I were probably talking past each other because, of course, he could only talk to what I had told the FBI, and I appreciated that. Now, I have acknowledged repeatedly that using two email accounts was a mistake, and I take responsibility for that.

“But I do think having him say that my answers to the FBI were truthful, and then I should quickly add what I said was consistent with what I had said publicly, and that is really sort of in my view trying to tie both ends together.”

On Friday she acknowledged that she sent 30,000 emails to the state department, of which three had classified markings. But Comey, she said, made clear the three emails did not have “appropriate markings” and therefore it was reasonable for a person to not know their status. A further 100 classified emails had no markings, according to Clinton’s version of Comey’s testimony.



Her latest remarks earned scorn from rival Donald Trump’s campaign. Jason Miller, a spokesman, said: “Hillary Clinton’s habitual lying about the use of her secret server to send and receive classified, top secret information shows her blatant disregard for national security and a continued pattern of bad judgment.

“Clinton knows the actions she has taken are disqualifying for someone wishing to become commander-in-chief, and that is why today’s painful, pretzel-like response to a simple question about her illegal server was obvious to everyone watching.”

The National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists joint convention brought together more than 4,000 attendees. They were able to submit questions to the conversation moderator using Twitter, making the event the closest Clinton has come to holding a formal press conference since December. “We encourage you to do this more often,” said one reporter from the Washington Post. She nodded and smiled.

The same reporter noted that many voters say of Clinton, “Frankly, we don’t like you and we don’t trust you, and they say the same about Donald Trump.” She conceded that she still has work to do. “I take it seriously,” she said. “It doesn’t make me feel good when people say those things.”

Clinton blamed some of her low approval on Republican attacks, saying she got higher ratings when she served as a senator and secretary of state. “Just maybe when I’m actually running for a job there is a real benefit from those on the other side with trying to stir up as much trouble as possible.”

She urged voters to look at her record in public service, adding: “This is a crossroads election ... I’m just going to get up every day and make my case.”

The Democratic nominee was also asked why Trump has hit such a populist nerve in the American electorate. “I think the core of his support really centers on the disappointment in the economy that so many Americans feel,” she said. “I have been trying to understand what it is that has driven people to support Trump, and I’ve met with some people. I have listened to them, and so many of them are looking for an explanation as to why they lost the job they had for 18 years when the factory closed, and nobody cared about them. What they’re going to do when their whole life was spent mining coal, and they made $80,000 a year, and now they can barely find a job making minimum wage.

Hillary Clinton's emails: explaining the FBI findings – and their potential fallout Read more

“Why the centres of so many old industrial towns in America are hollowed out, and people are turning to opiates and heroin, and the list goes on. And that’s what I’ve heard.

“So I think that we have to recognise that some of the appeal is xenophobic, and racist, and misogynistic and offensive. We have to acknowledge that, but let’s not lose sight of the real pain that many Americans are feeling because the economy has left them behind.”

Clinton told the gathering that passing comprehensive immigration legislation will be a top priority for her administration. She expressed hopes that Democrats could win the Senate and make gains in the House of Representatives. “There’s nothing like winning to change minds.”

Perhaps the most artful question of the day asked Clinton to describe the most meaningful conversation she’s ever had with an African American. She could not name one, but ran through her black friends and said “they’ve tried to expand my musical taste”.