Clinton sees sex-claims double standard

NEW YORK — When it comes to allegations of sexual misconduct, Hillary Clinton sees a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans.

The former secretary of state chatted with WABC radio host Rita Cosby in a Friday afternoon interview centered on sexual impropriety in politics, fielding questions about GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore, President Donald Trump, her husband and Democratic Sen. Al Franken.

Clinton was quick to lump together Moore — who’s accused of sexually harassing and assaulting several teenagers — and Trump, who has been accused of sexually harassing more than a dozen women. She was also quick to extend an olive branch to Franken, her former Senate colleague, who’s accused of sexually harassing a female radio host in 2006.

“He’s a good friend of mine, and I deeply regret what he did. There’s no excuse for his behavior but he has called for an investigation and apologized to the woman involved,” Clinton said. “Look at the contrast between Al Franken, accepting responsibility, apologizing, and Roy Moore and Donald Trump who have done neither.”

She continued, “There’s a double standard: the Republicans deny, deny, deny and divert, divert, divert and they get away with it because the press is more concerned about someone who accepted responsibility than people who refuse to take responsibility.”

Clinton also pushed back against Democratic Sen. Kristen Gillibrand of New York, who made headlines last week when she said former President Bill Clinton should have stepped down after his sex scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

“That was a painful time not only in our marriage but in our country,” Clinton said, referring to the impeachment of her husband in 1999. “But it was investigated fully, it was addressed at the time, he was held accountable. That is very different than what people seem to be remembering from that period.”

Clinton was incredulous as to why Trump isn’t facing the same scrutiny her husband did.

“If you’re going to hold people to the same standards, there are a lot of parallels that are not being followed in recent times,” she said.

Clinton also took a stab at the GOP’s latest tax plan, which proposes to slash taxes for corporations and the wealthy.

“I will predict to you that a number of Republican members of Congress who voted for it, will lose their seats in 2018,” she said. “This is bad policy that is downright cruel to working Americans.”