November 13, 2015
11/13: Voters Question Clinton’s Private Email Server… Divide about Benghazi Investigation
American voters do not give presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a pass when it comes to her use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State. However, they do not necessarily think she did something illegal. A plurality of voters, 40%, think Clinton did something unethical but not illegal. The rest divide. 28% believe her actions were illegal, and 27% report she did nothing wrong.
The proportion of voters who think the use of the server was illegal is driven by Republicans, 56%, and those who support the Tea Party, 57%. Clinton also does not come out unscathed among Democrats. Although nearly half of Democratic voters, 49%, think the former Secretary of State did nothing wrong, four in ten, 40%, believe Clinton did something unethical but not illegal. A plurality of independents, 46%, question the ethics of using a private email server, not its legality.
When it comes to whether voters think it’s time to close the book on the Republicans’ investigation into the attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, the American electorate divides. 49% report Clinton has sufficiently answered questions about the incident which occurred during her time as Secretary of State while 45% say the Republicans in Congress should continue their investigation.
Not surprisingly, a partisan divide exists. Most Democrats, 79%, think Clinton has thoroughly addressed the incident while most Republicans, 80%, believe there is more to be uncovered. Independents divide. 46% say it is time to turn the page, and 48% think the investigation should continue. Men and women also have different viewpoints. While a majority of women, 52%, thinks Clinton has adequately divulged information about the incident, 49% of men believe Clinton has more to tell about Benghazi.
Complete November 13, 2015 McClatchy-Marist Poll of the United States