Brendan Nyhan: “The actual public response to the controversy is likely to be a combination of apathy and partisanship. Few Americans are paying attention to any aspect of the campaign at this point. Those who do notice will most likely divide largely along partisan lines, with Democrats interpreting her actions more charitably, especially once they see Republicans attacking Mrs. Clinton on the issue.”

“Any significant political costs are also likely to be fleeting because the revelations came so early in the campaign cycle. It is hard to believe that a lack of transparency in Mrs. Clinton’s use of email will have a significant effect on a general election that will be held some 20 months from now.”

First Read explains what we’ve learned from this episode so far: “The Clintons and their supporters haven’t changed their ways. In fact, they’ve played into every negative stereotype.”

• “They will follow the letter of the law but not always its spirit: How do they explain that Clinton was a member of a presidential cabinet where almost everyone else was using government emails to conduct official business?”
• “They will drag their heels when it comes to transparency: We never would have learned of Clinton’s use of personal emails if not for the Benghazi committee.”
• “When it doubt, Clinton allies go on the attack: When this email controversy first surfaced, Clinton defenders’ first instinct was to go on the attack — against the personal emails that Scott Walker and Rick Perry have used, or the private email server that Jeb Bush had. But remember this: Jeb has at least RELEASED his emails, while Clinton hadn’t released ANY of hers.”
• “Clinton’s close aides aren’t doing her any favors: The emails that one of Clinton’s closest aides sent to reporters during this story wasn’t helpful at all. One of the reasons why the Clintons don’t get the benefit of the doubt from reporters is because it takes yelling and screaming to get anything.”