Just as Democrats have been tying Republican candidates to Donald Trump's hot mic moment, Republicans in contested races are seizing on FBI Director James Comey's revelation about new evidence in the Hillary Clinton email investigation to attack their Democratic opponents.
Comey announced on Friday the discovery of emails pertaining to the investigation of Clinton using a private email server and he was pummeled by Democrats who said his unusual move was intended to influence the election.
But Republican candidates saw an opportunity to tie their opponents to their party's presidential nominee and move the needle in their races, just as Democrats have done with Trump's comments.
Rep. Joe Heck, who is in a tight race for Senate in Nevada, hit his Democratic opponent, former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, for continuing her support of Clinton in light of the former secretary of state's "reckless behavior."
Similarly, in New Hampshire, Sen. Kelly Ayotte released an ad tying her opponent, Gov. Maggie Hassan, and the email scandal using footage of Hassan dodging the question of whether Clinton is trustworthy.
In Wisconsin, Sen. Ron Johnson, who is in a tough race against former Sen. Russ Feingold and serves as chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is calling for a briefing from Comey no later than Friday, four days before the election.
"Most importantly, if the FBI determines that any additional classified information has been put at risk of exposure to our enemies," Johnson wrote in a letter to Comey, "it is vital that the intelligence community take all appropriate steps to mitigate the potential damage to our national security."
Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is facing a tough re-election race against Democrat Katie McGinty, said Clinton is "in a world of hot water."
"I'm not a member of the FBI but it's hard for me to imagine they would do this without some pretty compelling evidence," he said.
A recent poll from Politico and the Morning Consult showed the revelation had minimal effect on Clinton while a poll from ABC and the Washington Post showed support for Clinton slipped.
