Former DNC Chair Admits Clinton Has Handled Email Scandal ‘Atrociously’

Edward Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor and a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton, admitted recently that the former secretary of state’s presidential campaign has handled the controversy surrounding her private email system “atrociously.”

“They’ve handled the email issue poorly—maybe atrociously, certainly horribly,” Rendell, who also chaired the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 election, told the New York Times in an interview.

“The campaign has been incredibly tone-deaf, not seeing this as a more serious issue,” he continued. “She should have turned over the email server at the start, because they should have known they’d be forced to give it up. But at this point, there’s nothing they can do to kill the issue—they’re left just playing defense.”

Rendell has consistently been supportive of Clinton, donating $2,700 to her presidential campaign in May, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. Rendell has even defended Clinton for her use of private email on television.

Nevertheless, Rendell is one of multiple Democratic leaders who have grown frustrated with the email scandal and Clinton’s attempt to laugh off questions regarding her allegedly wiped-clean server.

“Instead of flippant and smart-aleck comments, it would just be better to come clean in a straightforward way,” North Carolina Democratic national committeewoman Pat Cotham told the Times in a separate interview. “People don’t expect you to be perfect, but they just want to know what the deal is.”

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