Clinton, Trump are no different now than a week ago

Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Amid the turmoil surrounding the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, it’s worth asking one fundamental question about the presidential election.

What’s really changed?

Certainly not Donald Trump’s fitness to serve as president. He is no more qualified than he was before FBI Director James Comey’s announcement that authorities were reviewing emails related to the investigation Clinton’s handling of classified information.

The development didn’t erase Trump’s shameful record of making sexist comments, mocking a disabled reporter, disparaging entire ethnic groups, drawing accusations of sexual misconduct and committing more examples of shameful behavior.

Trump’s no better working off-script, either. He’s still the same candidate who went on incoherent rants during debates and who routinely struggles to speak in complete sentences.

And despite all the noise Trump made about the announcement, it didn’t drown out months of news about his dishonorable business dealings, his favorable comments about Vladimir Putin or his terrifying expression of support for nuclear proliferation, to name a few of the disturbing storylines he’s generated during the campaign.

Another key factor that hasn’t changed is Trump’s ongoing refusal to release his tax records, which only underscores his camp’s hypocrisy in calling for Clinton to be more transparent and release all of her emails.

Meanwhile, Clinton’s still the candidate who offers a lifetime of public service, which includes experience as a senator and secretary of state.

She’s the one who maintained composure during the debates and offered clear and detailed explanations of her policies and initiatives. Coupled with the bombshell recording of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, Clinton’s performance in the debates propelled her to a polling surge heading into the last two weeks of the campaign.

Then came Comey and his unprecedented announcement — a life jacket for Trump.

What interesting timing.

According to CNN, Comey broke a longstanding Justice Department and FBI practice not to comment about politically sensitive investigations within 60 days of elections.

He acted independently, too — never mind that it’s the role of Justice Department prosecutors to examine FBI investigations and determine whether to file charges.

Since the announcement, critics of Comey have been as easy to come by as a happy hour drink special in Las Vegas. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid went so far as to notify Comey that he may have violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan politics.

Time will tell if Comey acted properly. But at the least, it appears he abused his office by notifying congressional leaders about his decision without revealing information about the emails that prompted his action — including whether they were duplicates of messages already in the FBI’s possession or were marked “classified.”

In July, Comey announced that he wouldn’t recommend charges be filed in the FBI’s investigation. He later said he didn’t believe any prosecutor would take the case.

In the days since he revealed that Clinton emails were back under review, there’s been no evidence to suggest the same outcome won’t occur this time.

Another fact that hasn’t changed: Before and after Comey’s announcement, Clinton admitted repeatedly that she made a mistake by using a private email server as secretary of state.

There’s no reason for voters to make the worst mistake of their lives by electing Trump, the worst nominee of all time.

Clinton remains the clear choice.