This week wasn’t supposed to go this way for Hillary Clinton.
Just months out from the expected launch of her likely presidential campaign, the former secretary of State planned to spend her Tuesday speech at the United Nation’s Women Empowerment Principles event talking about her “No Ceilings” report on the conditions for women and girls globally, and her own record as an advocate for women’s rights.
But with the controversy surrounding her use of a personal email server and domain during her time at State continuing into its second week, Clinton will follow the speech at the UN with a hastily arranged a press conference where aides say she’ll respond to questions.
It’s her first press conference in five months, since she talked to reporters during a political event in Iowa last September.
Media attention around Monday’s event was more heightened than usual, but the focus appeared to be on emails.
Outside the event, reporters lined up to shout questions at both Hillary and Bill Clinton in vain. Neither responded to repeated questions about the email controversy.
Clinton aides were confident, however, that since the speech and the press conference were taking place at the tightly-controlled United Nations they wouldn’t devolve into a media circus.
And while Clinton allies are breathing a sigh of relief that she’s finally decided to break the silence, the past three weeks of controversies, which began with scrutiny of her family foundation’s donors last month, has taken its toll.
While few Democrats other than Clinton are readying a potential campaign, Democratic critics already wary of her expected presidential candidacy found further evidence Clinton needs to face a credible primary challenge to prepare for the general election.
The controversy has even strained relations with the Obama administration, which has been forced to answer for her use of a private email server as she’s remained silent on the issue.
With a more formal campaign launch expected as soon as next month, Clinton’s Tuesday has been transformed from a victory lap to a high-stakes dance with the press.