Potential vice-presidents back Clinton in FBI email server inquiry

Several of Hillary Clinton’s potential vice-presidents defended her yesterday morning, one day after the FBI interviewed the presumptive Democratic nominee about her use of a private email server while secretary of state in the Obama administration.

All four men dodged questions on whether they were being vetted by the campaign, but spoke positively about Mrs Clinton’s participation in the investigation.

Ohio senator Sherrod Brown said he was "not worried" about Mrs Clinton being indicted, noting she had turned over more than 30,000 emails and released her tax returns – unlike her Republican rival for the presidency, Donald Trump. "She's always been willing to talk to authorities," he told ABC's This Week.

New Jersey senator Cory Booker told CNN's State of the Union Mrs Clinton would not be indicted. "That's just not going to happen," he said.

It is unclear how much longer the email investigation will last or whether Mrs Clinton will be prosecuted, although many observers believe her interview signalled that the investigation was near its end. The Democratic National Convention begins in Philadelphia on July 25th.

Mrs Clinton’s campaign said she was interviewed for 3½ hours on Saturday at FBI headquarters. She later told MSNBC she had been “eager” to participate and “pleased to have the opportunity” to help the justice department conclude the investigation.

Critics have questioned the independence of the investigation, following a meeting between the attorney general, Loretta Lynch, and Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport last week.

Ms Lynch, who said the meeting had been unplanned and informal after the two politicians’ planes happened to land on the same tarmac, acknowledged that the meeting “cast a shadow” on the investigation. She said she would “fully accept” whatever recommendations were made by the FBI and prosecutors.

Yesterday morning, Xavier Becerra, a Democratic representative from California also touted as a possible Clinton vice- presidential pick, said the Lynch-Clinton meeting would not be an issue in the investigation. – (Guardian service)