Clinton doesn’t address emails in first public speech since controversy

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made no mention of her use of a personal email address, while she was in office in her first speech since the fracas broke, avoiding the topic in a Tuesday night speech to a gala of pro-choice Democrats in Washington, D.C.

{mosads}Clinton, who teased her likely presidential run throughout her speech, declined to touch upon the controversy surrounding her use of a personal email account rather than an official government one during her time as secretary of State. She instead focused on calls for more women in office and more economic fairness in her address to crowd of 1,700 Democratic office holders, donors and activists gathered for the 30th anniversary of EMILY’s List.

The audience was remarkably subdued, given how close the organization is with Clinton, though the gala dragged on an hour longer than planned. But the likely candidate got a roar of applause when she teased her likely run.

“Along life’s way you get a chance to make millions of decisions. Some of them are big, like do you run for office?” she said, pulling the crowd to its feet.

Clinton also used the speech to argue for economic fairness, warning the current economic was disproportionately benefitting Republicans and making a full-throated argument in favor of unions.

“If there is not a balance of power in the workplace, everybody will suffer, so we have to get our economy to reflect the realities of 21st century America, and we’re not doing that,” she said. “We’re not doing that when the hard work of women and men across our country is not rewarded with rising wages but CEO pay goes up and up no matter what.”

Clinton also touted equal pay legislation.

“If any parent is shortchanged, the whole family is shortchanged, and if you go all the way up the ladder, the economy is shortchanged,” she said.