Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) said Wednesday that she does not think it was problematic that Hillary Clinton laughed at a joke about strangling Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina.
"I don't see an issue with that," she said.
Shaheen, who came out in support of Clinton in late August, justified Clinton’s response by saying that the voter who made the comment was speaking to an important political issue.
"He is speaking to the challenge of losing jobs, and that's what people really care about," she said.
She then shrugged off the criticism that Clinton has received for the incident.
"Listen, a month ago people were saying Hillary's campaign is in the ditch, it's not going to be able to resurrect itself," she said. "She comes out fighting when she is behind."
Clinton was at a veterans roundtable event in New Hampshire when one voter expressed violent frustration with Fiorina’s policies during her time as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
"She says she’s a great CEO.," he said. "Every time I see her on TV, I want to reach through and strangle her."
In response, Clinton laughed and widened her eyes. "I wouldn’t mess with you!" she said.
Clinton, who championed the phrase "women’s rights are human rights," received heavy criticism for letting the comment on a fellow female candidate slide.
The incident may be contrasted with a similar one in September, when Clinton said she was "appalled" that Donald Trump did not condemn an anti-Muslim questioner.
"If that person would have been at my event, I would have called him out on it," she said. "And I would have said from the very beginning that has no place in a political discussion like the one we are trying to have here. And not only it is out of place and wrong, it is totally factually untrue. And to quite impugning the integrity of the President."