Donald Trump Hoping You Hadn't Heard About Benghazi or Monica Lewinsky
Donald Trump has laid out in an interview how he plans to “attack” Hillary Clinton in the general election, predictably leveling criticisms at her over her handling of her husband’s extramarital affairs and the attacks on the embassy in Benghazi—shocking stuff, really.
According to the New York Times, the presumptive Republican nominee intends to raise questions about (1) her husband’s behavior and how she defended him; (2) her husband’s impeachment; (3) a dubious investment in cattle futures she made in the ‘70s; (4) her email habits; and (5) Benghazi.
None of this is new or likely to change anyone’s perception of Hillary Clinton. Moreover, while Clinton is being investigated by the FBI over her email practices, Trump is facing several two lawsuits over the fraudulent Trump University, including one brought by New York District Attorney Eric Schneiderman, that could well go to trial before November. (Basically, people in gold, glass, and steel houses shouldn’t throw stones.)
Also, the Times reports, Trump is aware that people are tired of watching men sneer at the former secretary.
He said he wanted to be more strategic, by calling into question Mrs. Clinton’s judgment in her reaction to Mr. Clinton’s affairs — people close to the couple have said she was involved in efforts to discredit the women — and in her response to crises like Benghazi.
“Just getting nasty with Hillary won’t work,” Mr. Trump said. “You really have to get people to look hard at her character, and to get women to ask themselves if Hillary is truly sincere and authentic. Because she has been really ugly in trying to destroy Bill’s mistresses, and she is pandering to women so obviously when she is only interested in getting power.”
He acknowledged that Republicans tried to discredit her judgment in the marathon Benghazi hearing in the fall, to little avail. But he said that he would be more pointed and memorable in linking her to the failings and deaths in Libya, and that the debate would have a vastly larger television audience than the hearing. Still, advisers of Mrs. Clinton pointed to her face-off with the Republican-led Benghazi committee as a sign of her unflappability.
In any event, what will probably end up happening is Trump will call Clinton, “Crooked Hillary,” and Clinton will roll her eyes and laugh, and Trump will get mad, and her campaign will make a gif and tweet it. Then Trump will start talking about Benghazi, and the crowd will go wild.