--- title: Democratic Debate: Hillary Clinton Downplays Email Scandal description: Here's how Hillary Clinton responded at the Democratic debate when she was asked again about her email scandal. canonical: https://time.com/4208979/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-email-scandal/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-05T03:57:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:38.390Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's How Hillary Clinton Downplayed Her Email Scandal og:description: "That was a political ploy," she said og:url: https://time.com/4208979/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-email-scandal/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte12b4c73c9f6177b/69887c3bcf40a88be1c41d1e/timepol-democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2615 og:image:height: 1471 og:image:alt: TIMEPOL Hillary Clinton og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Hillary Clinton Downplayed Her Email Scandal twitter:description: "That was a political ploy," she said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte12b4c73c9f6177b/69887c3bcf40a88be1c41d1e/timepol-democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Hillary Clinton Downplayed Her Email Scandal at the Democratic Debate > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=39139e15-dd88-438e-a544-50eeebea4345&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Best Split Screen Moments From The Fifth Democratic Debate [Watch (HLS stream): Best Split Screen Moments From The Fifth Democratic Debate](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/a5OpVU9Y.m3u8) (3:32)  _Published 2016-02-05. The best split screen moments between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Feb 5, 2016 3:57 AM UTC  Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a debate with Senator Bernie Sanders at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 4, 2016, in Durham, N.H. Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a debate with Senator Bernie Sanders at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 4, 2016, in Durham, N.H. David Goldman—AP  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Feb 5, 2016 3:57 AM UTC Even at the fifth Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton’s [email scandal](http://time.com/4200447/clinton-emails-state-department-top-secret/) continues to trail her. MSNBC moderator Chuck Todd asked the former Secretary of State whether she would ever be able to put the issue of her private email server to rest. First, Clinton said she could assure voters the issue would be resolved because it is just a political game by Republicans. “Before it was emails it was Benghazi,” she said. “And the Republicans were stirring up so much controversy about that. And I [testified for 11 hours](http://time.com/4084578/benghazi-hearing-hillary-clinton-analysis/), answered their questions, and they basically said, ‘Yep, didn’t get her, we tried.’ That was a political ploy.” Then Clinton said she was not the only person in her position to use a private email server. “We had a development in the email matter today when it came out that Secretary Powell and close aides to former Secretary Rice [used private email accounts](http://time.com/4208791/clinton-emails-powell-rice/),” she said. “I never sent or received any classified material. They are retroactively classifying it. I agree completely with Secretary Powell who said today this is an absurdity… I have absolutely no concerns about it whatsoever.” Finally, when Todd asked her if she was 100% confident the FBI investigation into the matter wouldn’t yield anything, she blamed the system for classifying material. “I am 100% confident,” she said. “This is a security review that was requested, it is being carried out, it will be resolved. But I have to add, if there’s going to be a security review about me, there’s going to have to be security reviews about a lot of other people, including Republican office holders, because we’ve got this absurd situation of retroactive classifications. Honest to goodness, this just beggars the imagination.” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reiterated that he would not attack Clinton on this issue, after he [famously said](http://time.com/4072613/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-email/) at an October debate, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.” ## Transcript [00:00] Please join us in welcoming Secretary Hillary Clinton [00:03] and Senator Bernie Sanders. [ APPLAUSE ] I am [00:03] enormously proud. Never believed it [00:10] would happen. That we have raised three and a half [00:13] million individual Contributions averaging $ 27 [00:18] a piece that is what the political revolution means. [00:22] Cherry picking a quote here or there doesn't change [00:24] my record of having fought for racial justice. Having [00:28] fought for kids rights. Having fought against The kind [00:32] of inequities that fueled my interest in service in the [00:35] first place. [ APPLAUSE ] It is true, it's not to be denied, [00:39] I am the longest serving Independent in the history of [00:42] the United States Congress. Democrats, Republicans, [00:45] Independents, we're gonna make progress together [00:48] when I'm President. Go to YouTube today. Look up [00:52] Greenspan Sanders. And before it was called [00:54] Obamacare it was called Hillary care because we took [00:56] them on. In your definition, as you being the [01:00] self- proclaimed gatekeeper for progressivism, I don't [01:03] know anyone else who fits that definition. Instead of [01:07] arguing about definitions, [ CROSSTALK ] let's talk [01:10] about what we should do. So I think it's time to end the [01:13] very artful smear that you and your campaign Ooh. [01:16] Come on. Have been carrying out in recent weeks and [01:19] let's talk about the issues. Let's talk about the issues. [01:22] Let's talk about. Let's talk about the issues that divide [01:25] us. Okay let's- And let's- Let us talk about issues. We [01:27] both agree with campaign finance reform. I've- Let's [01:30] talk about issues. I worked hard for McCain- Feingold. [01:32] I wanna reverse Citizens United. Let's talk about [01:35] issues. And so let's talk about issues. Let's talk about [01:37] issues. She has the entire establishment, or almost the [01:41] entire establishment behind her. That's a fact. I don't [01:44] deny it. Senator Sanders is the only person who I feel [01:48] would characterize me, a woman running to be [01:52] the first woman president as exemplifying the [01:55] establishment [ APPLAUSE ]. It is really quite, it's [02:05] really quite amusing to me. Pointing out some of the [02:09] comments he has made on these issues. Like such as [02:12] inviting Iranian troops into Syria to try to resolve the [02:16] conflict there. Putting them right on the door step of [02:19] Israel. Asking Saudi Arabia to [02:24] work together when they. Can't stand each other and [02:27] are engaged in a proxy battle right at this moment. So [02:32] I do think questions have been raised, and questions [02:34] have to be answered. I fully concede that Secretary [02:39] Clinton, who was Secretary of State for four years, has [02:42] more experience. That is not arguable. And foreign [02:45] affairs. But experience is not the only point. [02:51] Judgment is. I believe we have to take this step by step [02:54] to try to rein in Iranian aggression, their support for [02:58] terrorism, and the other bad behavior that can come [03:02] back and haunt us. Who said That I think we should [03:04] normalize relations with Iran tomorrow. I never said [03:07] that! I think we should move forward as quickly as we [03:10] can. And you're right! Just to set the record straight, I [03:15] very strongly supported the agreement which makes [03:18] certain that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon. [03:22] Secretary Clinton, do you want 30 seconds on this [03:24] issue? No. [ APPLAUSE ] [ LAUGH ] And with that we'll [03:24] take a break. 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