Old allegations of sexual assault are coming under new scrutiny, not simply because Hillary Clinton is running for president, but because times have changed. She is inviting some of the attention herself, recently tweeting from her account:
Every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed, and supported. https://t.co/mkD69RHeBL
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 23, 2015That is drawing skepticism from those who say she played a role in silencing or discrediting women who had accused her husband of assault. Those include Juanita Broaddrick, who years ago accused Bill Clinton of raping her in 1978, and who posted this tweet yesterday, which was verified by Vox and The Washington Post:
I was 35 years old when Bill Clinton, Ark. Attorney General raped me and Hillary tried to silence me. I am now 73....it never goes away.
— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) January 6, 2016Most prominently of the presidential contenders, Donald Trump has made an issue of Bill Clinton’s past, which continues to be popular fodder in conservative, anti-Clinton circles. But perhaps the more pressing question for Hillary Clinton is whether liberals, who since the 1990s have become much more sympathetic to the claims of sexual assault victims, will make an issue of it, too.