The general election has yet to start, but Bill Clinton’s past alleged infidelities have already played a role so far, specifically in black churches.
Initially talk of former President Clinton’s past was brought up by those closest to the alleged affairs in the 1980s and 90s.
In July, Linda Tripp the woman who exposed Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton’s affair said, “without a doubt it’s time for a female president but it is without a doubt not the time nor will it ever be the time for Hillary Clinton to be that president. She simply lacks the integrity.”
Another mistress of Clinton’s then came out of the woodwork in October when Gennifer Flowers gave an interview. Clinton in a 1998 disposition admitted to having “sexual relations” with Flowers in 1977. Flowers, who alleges she had a 12-year relationship with former President Clinton, said Hillary, “never accepted her responsibility at being an enabler.”
This wouldn’t be the last time Flowers name would come up on the campaign trail. On a March 5 visit to a Detroit church, Clinton asked Rev. Kenneth Flowers whether, “Flowers relatives back in Arkansas. There are a lot of Flowers.” The pastor replied laughing, ““Not related to those… Not related at all.”
The next day on another Detroit church visit Clinton faced comments about her husband’s infidelities in general. A bishop, Corletta J. Vaughn, said, “One of the most pronounced moments when I knew I loved her was many, many years ago when I saw her take a licking and keep on ticking.”
Vaughn added, “She taught so many of us as women how to stand in the face of adversity. Keep your face on, don’t sweat it.”
Black churches didn’t stop bringing up the past. On Tuesday, during a visit at a Milwaukee Baptist church Sandra Bland’s mother said, “if I was to be held accountable for everything my man did, we’d have a problem.” Hillary laughed off the comments while slapping her knee.
Hillary won’t be able to simply escape her husband’s past alleged affairs by barring any future visits to black congregations. In December when the former secretary of state attacked Donald Trump claiming he is a sexist, the New York real estate developer shot right back.
Clinton said Trump has “demonstrated a penchant for sexism.”
“Hillary Clinton has announced that she is letting her husband out to campaign, but HE’S DEMONSTRATED A PENCHANT FOR SEXISM, so inappropriate,” Donald Trump tweeted in response.
Trump has said that Bill Clinton’s alleged transgressions are “fair game” and has talked about his potential to bring them up in the general election.
In an appearance on the Jimmy Fallon Show in January, he said, “She came out with a little bit of a statement about me, and I came out with a very big statement about her and Bill. And she stopped talking about me all of a sudden.”
Trump added, “I haven’t even started on her yet.”
And while he hasn’t “started on her yet,” his ally Roger Stone has. Stone has created Rape Accountability Project for Education PAC or RAPE PAC. This group will actively campaign and run ads against Hillary featuring the stories of alleged Clinton sexual victims Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broadrick, and Paula Jones.
In a previous interview with TheDC, Willey also implied there were other women who have yet to come out public against Clinton who could be featured in the campaign.
In January the opening salvos of this campaign against Clinton were fired with two social media posts from Sally Miller and Broaddrick respectively.
Miller wrote a scathing post on Facebook which finished with, “In this election year, if you read I died….by committing suicide….don’t believe it.”
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, 2016
Clinton has said on the campaign trail that victims of sexual assault have the “right to be believed.”