Hillary Clinton says Bill's sex assault allegations are 'different,' and the accuser speaks up
Hillary Clinton got called out for hypocrisy after she argued that sexual harassment allegations against her husband, Bill Clinton, were different from those faced by high-profile Republicans, as they were thoroughly investigated.
In an interview to CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, the former Democratic presidential nominee rejected parallels between allegations of sexual misconduct against her husband and the ones that have been leveled against President Donald Trump, and those that marred the confirmation process of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
There is a very significant difference. That is the intense, long-lasting, partisan investigation that was conducted in the 90s.
The former secretary of state added that "if the Republicans, starting with President Trump on down want a comparison, they should welcome such an investigation themselves."
Kavanaugh, who was sworn in on Monday after weeks of bitter partisan bickering, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct from several women, including claims he took part in gang-rape parties and was involved in sexual assault during his high-school years. The most prominent accuser, Dr Christine Blasey Ford, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following her testimony and that of Kavanaugh, which both held Americans glued to their television screens for hours, the White House ordered a new FBI probe into Kavanaugh, who had previously undergone six background investigations as part of the George W. Bush administration and as a judge on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
Clinton's words did not go down well with Juanita Broaddrick, one of Bill Clinton's most famous accusers. In 1999, she alleged in an interview with Dateline NBC that Clinton raped her in 1978 when he was serving as the attorney general of Arkansas.
The ex-President himself has never addressed the allegations, referring them to his legal representative. His lawyer, David Kendall, denied the allegations at the time. Broaddrick's story resurfaced during the 2016 presidential election campaign in light of the growing popularity of the #MeToo movement, which encourages victims of sexual assault to come forward.
As tensions around Kavanaugh's confirmation were gaining momentum, Broaddrick demanded an FBI investigation into her own allegations against Clinton, accusing Democrats, who called for a thorough FBI probe into Kavanaugh, of opportunism and "double standards."
"It's not politically advantageous for them to circle around me and support me," she told Fox News in September.
Responding to Clinton's fresh interview, Broaddrick did not mince her words, calling the former senator a "lying hypocrite."
"My case was never litigated," she wrote on Twitter, reiterating her call for an investigation into the allegations.
YOU LYING HYPOCRITE @HillaryClinton My case was NEVER litigated!!That’s why I’m calling for an investigation now. IF I CAN GET 100k signatures, the WORLD will KNOW IT, Hillary. THEN where will you hide? https://t.co/WOGN40Nr8H
— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) October 9, 2018
Broaddrick has launched a Change.org petition, asking for a criminal investigation into “Bill Clinton's sex crimes.” The petition has so far garnered over 34,000 signatures. It requires 100,000 to earn a White House response.
Hillary Clinton has found herself in hot water in the past for standing by her top staffer Burns Strider during the 2008 presidential campaign, after he was accused of harassing a younger woman who was his subordinate. The New York Times reported that Clinton refused to fire the staffer even after the allegations reached her.
READ MORE: ‘Zippergate’ 20 years on: How Monica & Bill changed the course of world history
She also drew widespread criticism when she claimed that her loss had contributed to the rise of the ”Me Too” movement, saying that "although it was a wave that was building," her election debacle "probably accelerated that wave" in April.
Clinton's record as a paragon of women's rights has also been repeatedly tested by her close ties to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The Hollywood mogul donated to Clinton's campaign and even hosted several fundraisers for her.
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