Former President Bill Clinton engaged in a heated back-and-forth with a military veteran at a campaign event in Bluffton, South Carolina, saying he would answer a question about the Benghazi attacks if the veteran would “shut up.”
“I’m not your commander in chief anymore, but if I were, I’d tell you to be more polite,” Clinton told the man on Friday, who said he was a military veteran.
“And I wouldn’t listen. I would just raise my voice,” the man shouted back at Clinton, according to video taken at the event by another protester.
Clinton was interrupted by the protester while he was discussing his experiences during 9/11, part of a speech he was giving for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
The protester started by explaining that he served two tours in Iraq and was “anxious” to talk about the troubles at the Department of Veterans Affairs. But before Clinton could respond, the man brought up the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks, which claimed the lives of four Americans during Hillary Clinton’s waning months as secretary of state. The issue has since been cited as a reason she is not qualified for the Oval Office.
“What do you think should be done with the VA?” Clinton asked.
“The thing is that we had four lives in Benghazi that were killed and your wife tried to cover it up,” the man responded.
The crowd — clearly displeased — responded in a chorus of “boos.”
“Those four lives, those four American lives, if someone lost their grandchild, their son, their brother,” the individual shouted over the audience’s booing.
Clinton thanked the man for his service, insisted that the room settle down and asked for a chance to respond.
“I heard you, can I answer?” Clinton said while the man continued to shout back. “This is America — I get to answer back.”
Security escorted the man out of the event. “Do you have the courage to listen to my answer? Don’t throw him out. If he’ll shut up and listen to my answer, I’ll answer it,” Clinton said.
While Clinton continued to respond, another woman began to shout.
“Hillary lied over four coffins of our military men. She lied,” the woman shouted while being escorted out of the event.
This came the same day the State Department released another 1,500 pages of Hillary Clinton’s emails, which critics have also sought to make an issue for her presidential campaign.