Donald Trump “accused” Bill Clinton of being a rapist. At least that’s the way some are putting it, though, in actuality, he did not make the accusation but cited the fact such an accusation has been made.
It is all over the news today. Other than the tragic, possibly terrorist-related crash of an Egyptian airline, it is the main story out there.
Here is the exchange, which took place last night on Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity program during a discussion of the article about Trump’s treatment of women as sex objects, which was published by the New York Times on Sunday:
Trump: “By the way, you know, it’s not like the worst things, OK. You look at what Clinton’s gone through with all of the problems and all of the things that he’s done.”
Hannity: (After questioning whether The Times would now be interviewing/writing about the various Clinton accusers) “In one case, it’s about exposure. In another case, it’s about groping and fondling and touching against a woman’s will”.
Trump: “And rape”
This has set mainstream media afire.
WHY?
The accusation of rape was made by Juanita Broaddrick on Dateline NBC in 1999…and it referenced an incident that, Ms. Broaddrick alleged, had occurred in 1978. She accused Mr. Clinton of forcing himself on her and, in the course of doing so, biting her lip enough so that it was injured.
And it is not something that suddenly materialized after 21 years. Immediately afterwards, Ms. Broaddrick said she told four different people about this – and they acknowledged she did so.
So why, exactly, is it news when Donald Trump mentions this in 2016?
The reason is because, I am guessing, most people have no idea of who Juanita Broaddrick is and do not know a thing about her accusation.
And the reason is very simple: after Ms. Broaddrick related her story, media gave it the two-days-and-out treatment. Almost as soon as it came it was gone.
Hey, Bill Clinton was in trouble. He was already accused of sexual molestation by Paula Jones, and there was that Monica Lewinsky thing – which they were largely portrayed as her seducing him (as if a powerless intern could get anywhere near the President of the United States if he did not want her there). We can’t have a rape charge in the mix too, can we? That could really hurt the poor fellow.
So now, 17 years later, when Donald Trump – which these same media cannot get enough of, because he generates viewers and sells papers – cites what amounts to nothing more than a rehash of pre-existing news, it is suddenly a big deal.
To much of our media,this is obviously a big story. But, to me, it is an indictment. of those same media…for treating it as a non-story when it originally was reported.
And for treating the aftermath – which bears 100% on the accusation of Hillary Clinton as an enabler – as a non-story as well.
Just to be clear…according to Ms. Broaddrick (and pulled from her wikipedia entry), at a Democrat event, weeks later…:
…Hillary approached her, took her hand, and said ‘I just want you to know how much Bill and I appreciate what you do for him.” When Broaddrick moved her hand away, she says, Mrs. Clinton held on to her and said, “Do you understand? Everything that you do.” Broaddrick says she felt nauseated and left the gathering. Broaddrick says she interpreted the incident as Mrs. Clinton thanking her for keeping quiet.
Tell us, Hillary, what you have to say about this? Anything different than what you said at the time?
Maybe a sentence or two on how this coincides with Donald Trump’s accusations against you?
We’re waiting…..
