--- title: Democratic Debate: Why Hillary Clinton Invoked 9/11 description: Hillary Clinton invoked the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 to defend herself against the charge that she was too close to Wall Street. canonical: https://time.com/4113521/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-september-11/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-15T04:11:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:46.829Z article:section: Politics og:title: Clinton Invokes 9/11 to Deflect Questions About Wall Street og:description: A rare misstep for the Democratic front-runner. og:url: https://time.com/4113521/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-september-11/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9356db059a6b40be/69887127f887dcb328e93531/clinton-debate2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3099 og:image:height: 1743 og:image:alt: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the second official 2016 U.S. Democratic presidential candidates debate in Des Moines og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Clinton Invokes 9/11 to Deflect Questions About Wall Street twitter:description: A rare misstep for the Democratic front-runner. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9356db059a6b40be/69887127f887dcb328e93531/clinton-debate2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Clinton Invokes 9/11 to Deflect Questions About Wall Street Ties > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Nov 15, 2015 4:11 AM UTC  Hillary Clinton speaks during the second official 2016 U.S. Democratic presidential candidates debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Nov. 14, 2015. Hillary Clinton speaks during the second official 2016 U.S. Democratic presidential candidates debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Nov. 14, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Nov 15, 2015 4:11 AM UTC Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invoked the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to defend herself against the charge that she was too close to Wall Street, in a rare misstep for the Democratic front-runner. Coming amid a contentious back-and-forth with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders over the role of corporate influence in the political process, the former New York Senator responded to the allegation that she was too soft on the financial sector that makes up a large portion of her campaign donations by pointing to the need to respond to the 2001 attack. “I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9/11,” Clinton said. “When we were attacked, where were we attacked? We were attacked in downtown Manhattan, where Wall Street is. I did spend a whole lot of time and effort helping them rebuild. That was good for New York. It was good for the economy. And it was a way to rebuke the terrorists who had attacked our country.” The response was reminiscent of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s frequent invocation of the attacks during his failed bid for the 2008 Republican nomination. Clinton has taken in millions for her campaigns from the financial industry over 16 years in elected office, and even more when her husband’s campaigns are factored in. The striking exchange was an unforced blunder by Clinton, in a debate in which her record as Secretary of State came under scrutiny from rivals in her own party, and exposed potential lines of attack for Republicans in a general election match-up. “Why do they make millions of dollars of campaign contributions? They expect to get something. Everybody knows that,” Sanders had argued, precipitating Clinton’s comments. Later in the debate, Clinton seemed temporarily flummoxed after CBS’s Nancy Cordes turned to a question from Twitter raising alarm about Clinton’s use of the 9/11 to deflect from a question about campaign finance. “I’m sorry that whoever tweeted that had that impression,” Clinton said after brief pause. “Because I worked closely with New Yorkers after 9/11 for my entire first term to rebuild, and so yes, I did know people. I’ve had a lot of folks give me donations from all kinds of backgrounds say, ‘I don’t agree with you on everything, but I like what you do, I like how you stand up, I’m going to support you,’ and I think that’s absolutely appropriate.” Lis Smith, a spokeswoman for former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, tweeted a condemnation of Clinton’s remarks. > [](https://twitter.com/Lis%5FSmith/status/665731029936685056) > [](https://twitter.com/Lis%5FSmith/status/665727911085797376) ### See an Intimate Portrait of Hillary Clinton  With an ice cream cone in hand, Hillary waves to the crowd in Weedsport, New York, as she heads to the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York, one of the stops on her Save America's Treasures tour, July 14, 1998. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Getting ready for President Clinton's second inaugural, Hillary gets her first glimpse of daughter Chelsea's short skirt. Jan. 20, 1997 Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  The President and the First Lady Share a private moment, one of their last in the Oval Office. Jan. 11, 2001. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary checks her messages upon departure from Malta for the as-yet-undisclosed location, Tripoli, Oct. 18, 2011\. This photo was turned into a meme that circulated around the world. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Before an appearance with David Letterman, Hillary checks her BlackBerry while Diana Walker takes their picture. Feb. 4, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary gathers her thoughts moments before her introduction at Nueva Esperanza Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia. Apr. 18, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary walks up the steps of the US Capitol to meet with Senate leaders. May 16, 2006. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary enters a Super Bowl party at a bar and grill in St. Paul Minnesota, where she watches the New York Giants win the game, Feb. 3, 2008. 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