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Mitchell Refers to Rape Accusation Against Bill Clinton as 'Discredited'

May 19, 2016

NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell referred to the 1978 rape accusation against Bill Clinton by Juanita Broaddrick as "discredited" Thursday during a report for The Today Show.

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump referenced the alleged assault during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity Wednesday night. Trump has gone after Bill Clinton's past of sexual misconduct on the campaign trail.

"In one case, it's about exposure," Hannity said. "In another case, it's about groping and fondling and touching against a woman's will."

"And rape," Trump said.

"Donald Trump using that word unprompted, during an interview last night with Fox News' Sean Hannity," Mitchell said in her report. "Bringing up a discredited and long-denied accusation against former president Bill Clinton, dating back to 1978 when he was Arkansas Attorney General."

The Clinton campaign responded that Trump was "dragging the American people through the mud for his own gain" after the Hannity interview.

Broaddrick, a former nursing home administrator, has long alleged Clinton raped her in a hotel room in 1978. She tweeted a repeat of the charge in January and added Hillary Clinton tried to silence her.

Clinton was sued by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones for sexual harassment and eventually settled the case out-of-court for $850,000. Former White House aide Kathleen Wiley accused Clinton of sexual misconduct as well.

While Clinton has acknowledged extramarital affairs, including one with White House intern Monica Lewinsky when he was president, he has always denied the rape accusation from Broaddrick. He was never charged.

In an interview with Breitbart News published Wednesday, Broaddrick maintained it was true and called Hillary Clinton an "enabler" of her husband's behavior.