To the editor: I could not agree more that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is the only qualified candidate on the ballot despite news of the FBI email investigation, which you describe as a distraction. (“Even with her email scandals, Hillary Clinton is the only alternative on election day,” editorial, Nov. 2)
But the real poison inflicted in our politics is not so much what has happened recently as it has been the criminalization of politics over the last few years. It goes like this: Accuse a person of committing a crime without any real proof, then form committees and investigations to find something that fits that accusation. Eventually, we find out that there was no merit to the accusation or there was no criminal behavior.
Trump might be a national disaster if elected, but no matter what happens we cannot escape his legacy of the criminalization of politics.
Nicholas Canellopoulos, Riverside
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To the editor: The Times should gain no credit for aping the Clinton campaign’s claim that it is the victims of FBI Director James Comey’s October surprise. Comey reopened the investigation when he learned of more emails, and there is no statute of limitations on investigations.
That this came days before the election is Clinton’s fault. She is the one who decided to use a private email server as secretary of State. She is the one who received and sent classified documents over that system. She is the one who repeatedly made false statements about that system.
In his July news conference, Comey stated there was no evidence that Clinton intended to harm the country, be he did say she was “extremely careless.” It would be informative if The Times would parse the difference between “extremely careless” and what the law states is “gross negligence.”
Clinton is a victim of her own actions.
Kent Schmidt, La Cañada Flintridge
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To the editor: The Times writes that Trump’s election would be a national disaster. Let’s make that an international disaster, because, given this man’s total lack of understanding of global politics, there will be no place on Earth in which to hide from his destructive reach.
Anneke Mendiola, Santa Ana