--- title: Hillary Clinton Explains Why She Didn't Fire Accused Advisor description: Hillary Clinton on Tuesday addressed a report that she shielded an advisor despite allegations of sexual harassment against him. canonical: https://time.com/5126155/hillary-clinton-sexual-harassment/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-31T02:55:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:48:29.640Z article:section: Politics og:title: Hillary Clinton Didn't Fire An Advisor Accused of Harassment. She Now Says She Would og:description: "I didn’t think firing him was the best solution to the problem." og:url: https://time.com/5126155/hillary-clinton-sexual-harassment/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3c69a73b06acc14/6988f73d7cdbac297ad5b7f2/clinton-foundation-fbi-investigation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Ms. Foundation For Women 2017 Gloria Awards Gala & After Party og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hillary Clinton Didn't Fire An Advisor Accused of Harassment. She Now Says She Would twitter:description: "I didn’t think firing him was the best solution to the problem." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3c69a73b06acc14/6988f73d7cdbac297ad5b7f2/clinton-foundation-fbi-investigation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Clinton Didn't Fire An Advisor Accused of Harassment. She Now Says She Would > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b3612733-36fd-48e2-8fd9-5f8d0d5c64c6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Hillary Clinton Responds to Report That She Kept Adviser After He Was Accused of Sexual Misconduct [Watch (HLS stream): Hillary Clinton Responds to Report That She Kept Adviser After He Was Accused of Sexual Misconduct](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2HbxnRoh.m3u8) (1:39)  _Published 2018-01-27. Hillary Clinton has spoken out following a report published by The New York Times alleging that she chose not to fire one of her advisors during her 2008 presidential campaign after he had been accused of sexual misconduct_  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Jan 31, 2018 2:55 AM UTC Hillary Clinton has spoken out following a report published by The New York Times alleging that she chose not to fire one of her advisors during her 2008 presidential campaign after he had been accused of sexual misconduct  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Jan 31, 2018 2:55 AM UTC Hillary Clinton on Tuesday addressed a [report](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/us/politics/hillary-clinton-chose-to-shield-a-top-adviser-accused-of-harassment-in-2008.html) that she kept a senior adviser on her 2008 presidential campaign despite allegations of sexual harassment. Shortly before President Donald Trump began the State of the Union, Clinton took to Facebook to respond to a report in the New York _Times_ that about her handling of complaints about Burns Strider which had [raised questions](http://time.com/5124559/trevor-noah-hillary-part-of-problem-sexual-abuse/) about her judgment. “I very much understand the question I’m being asked as to why I let an employee on my 2008 campaign keep his job despite his inappropriate workplace behavior,” [wrote Clinton on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/hillaryclinton/posts/1811310308925490). “The short answer is this: If I had it to do again, I wouldn’t.” Clinton went on to address the rapidly changing conversation around sexual harassment. “Over the past year, a seismic shift has occurred in the way we approach and respond to sexual harassment, both as a society and as individuals,” wrote Clinton. “This shift was long overdue. It occurred thanks to women across industries who stood up and spoke out, from Hollywood to sports to farm workers – to the very woman who worked for me.” Read Clinton’s full statement below: --- > “” --- ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5126155/hillary-clinton-sexual-harassment/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5126155/hillary-clinton-sexual-harassment/"},"headline":"Hillary Clinton Didn't Fire An Advisor Accused of Harassment. 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