Reporters plead for Clinton press conference after FBI announcement

In the wake of a recommendation by the FBI that Clinton not be charged for her use of a private email server, reporters want Hillary Clinton to speak into the microphone.

It’s been seven months since the presumptive Democratic nominee held a press conference (for comparison it’s been less than two weeks since Donald Trump had two back-to-back during a trip to Scotland.) And reporters covering the candidate are frustrated.

On Tuesday Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan wrote a blistering column, calling on Clinton to hold one in the wake of the FBI’s announcement.

“Remember Fort Dodge, Iowa?

No? Well, that’s understandable. It’s been a long time — seven months — since an event in Fort Dodge that turned out to be historic: Hillary Clinton’s last news conference.

The candidate, famously opaque, answered a grand total of seven questions there on Dec. 4, 2015. Since then, although she’s given individual interviews, she hasn’t made herself available for general media questioning.

That must change, and what better moment than immediately, given the news that FBI Director James B. Comey has recommended that no charges be brought against the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.”

On Tuesday FBI Director James Comey announced the completion of the investigation in Clinton’s private email server during her time as secretary of state. The statement was harsh. And it concluded that Clinton and her team had been “extremely careless” in the way classified information was handled. However, they ultimately recommended she not be charged.

“Clinton owes it to the electorate not only to speak publicly about all of this but also to answer tough questions,” Sullivan wrote.

Others also expressed frustration about her lack of press conferences following the announcement.

This is not a new problem for Clinton. The media has been frustrated by the candidate's lack of availability for months. In June, USA TODAY editor at large and media columnist Rem Rieder challenged Clinton to “Stop avoiding reporters. Start answering their questions on a regular basis. Hold a press conference.”