Clinton Hushed A Heckler Questioning Bill's Past

While taking questions at a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire Sunday, Hillary Clinton quickly shut down a heckler asking about Bill Clinton's alleged sexual misconduct in the past. Clinton still won't address Bill's record with women, which Republicans have brought up again and again in an attempt to combat claims that Donald Trump is sexist. Clinton forcefully told the GOP state representative interrupting her campaign event: "You are very rude, and I'm not ever going to call on you. Thank you." At least she threw a "thank you" in there to soften the blow.

The heckler, Katherine Prudhomme O'Brien, stood up only feet away from Clinton and yelled at the presidential candidate a few times, but she wasn't heard by most of the crowd, because supporters immediately began booing her. Clinton's harsh response sparked a positive reaction from the roughly 750 Derry residents in the room, and many stood and applauded her candor.

Afterwards, O'Brien told reporters that she was trying to ask Clinton about Juanita Broaddrick, an Arkansas woman who alleged in 1999 that Bill had raped her decades earlier (an accusation Bill has always denied, and was not charged with). It's not the first time she's attempted to raise the subject with Clinton. "I asked her how in the world she can say that Juanita Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey are lying when she has no idea who Juanita Broaddrick is," she told CNN.

Donald Trump resurfaced allegations that Bill has mistreated women in the past after Clinton accused Trump of having a "penchant for sexism." The GOP frontrunner tweeted: "Hillary Clinton has announced that she is letting her husband out to campaign but HE'S DEMONSTRATED A PENCHANT FOR SEXISM, so inappropriate!"

Last month, another woman asked Clinton about the women who accused Bill during a campaign stop in Hooksett, New Hampshire. She said: "Secretary Clinton, you recently came out to say that all rape victims should be believed. But would you say that Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey, and Paula Jones be believed as well?" In response, Clinton only said, "Well, I would say that everyone should be believed at first, until they are disbelieved based on evidence."

That's the most Clinton has said about the accusations against her husband since she began campaigning, and it was pretty vague. Her campaign is obviously about her — and not her husband — but some voters are confused by her strict stance on sexual assault and her unwillingness to talk about claims against Bill. While Clinton has dealt with questions about Bill's purported improprieties for years, she clearly doesn't want it to become a topic of discussion in the 2016 election.