Hillary Clinton Uses 9/11 to Explain Wall Street Ties in Democratic Debate

Hillary Clinton, who was declared the clear winner of the first Democratic debate last month, didn't fare nearly as well this time around. During the second debate on Saturday night, the former Secretary of State gave a controversial explanation for her campaign donor's close ties to Wall Street.

"I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked," Clinton said, referring to her time as a New York senator. "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."

Clinton also took heat from her debate opponents Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malleyregarding how to combat terrorism, such as the recent attacks on Paris.

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"We will support those who take the fight to ISIS," Clinton said, adding that's why the U.S. still sodiers in Iraq and Syria. "This cannot be an American fight, although American leadership is indispensible."

"This actually is America's fight," O'Malley retorted. "It cannot solely be America's fight. America is best when we work in collaboration with our allies. America is best when we stand up to evil in the world."

Sanders went so far as to imply that Clinton's 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq War helped result in ISIS' current power. "In fact, I would argue that the disastrous invasion of Iraq, something I strongly opposed, has unraveled the region completely and led to the rise of al Qaeda and ISIS," Sanders said. "I would say that on this issue I'm a little more conservative than the secretary, and I am not a great fan of regime change."

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