Gary Johnson Doubles Down On Passive Defense of Hillary

Yesterday, we reported how Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson has been very reluctant to criticize his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton has infamously been involved in a plethora of scandals; from Whitewater, to Juanita Broaddrick, to Benghazi and beyond. Her latest entanglement, which not only involves impropriety with a private email server, national security, and reckless carelessness while in high office, also now carries the appearance of impropriety and corruption. Former-President Clinton met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch just three days before the FBI interviewed Hillary. Following that interview, FBI director Comey laid out a litany of offenses that Hillary had committed, only to declare that charges would not be recommended. A declaration that has many Americans up-in-arms. But not Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson.

Yesterday, in an interview with the Washington Examiner, a reporter gave Johnson another chance to comment on Hillary:

After hearing the press conference yesterday with FBI Director James Comey, do you still think that there wasn’t any criminal intent or that she was guilty of wrongdoing?

Johnson replied:

I’m not the one to lend judgment in all of this. There are so many others who weigh in on this stuff… I think bad judgment really was at the core of all that transpired. Was there criminal intent? Eh, you know, I never did think there was criminal intent. I’m not the stone thrower here.

Why is the former governor so reluctant to criticize Hillary Clinton? Is his reluctance merely a passive way of defending her? She is, in many ways, diametrically, ideologically opposed to what the Libertarian Party stands for. By contrast, Green Party nominee Jill Stein seems to have no problem calling Clinton out; even though they have much more in common.

As we reported yesterday, Stein had this to say:

All the elements necessary to prove a felony violation were found by the FBI investigation … Her staff has said Secretary Clinton stated she used her private email system because she did not want her personal emails to become accessible under [Freedom of Information] laws,” she added. “This is damning on two counts — that she intended to disregard the protection of security information, and that she had personal business to conceal.

Gary Johnson’s strategy moving forward seems a bit murky. Is he trying to win over liberals by not criticizing Hillary? If people like Hillary, won’t they just vote for her instead? Is he friends with Hillary (as Bill Weld claims to be) and just doesn’t want to offend her? Is he afraid of her? There comes a time when the game plan isn’t working and needs to change. He and his running mate Bill Weld’s comments have heaped undeserved praise on Clinton and now seem to shield her from criticism regarding her actions.

Can governor Johnson capitalize on his opponent’s missteps/vulnerabilities and make the necessary campaign course changes to help advance liberty in America? So far he seems unwilling to challenge the front runner in the race for the White House, even when she jeopardizes national security.