Secretary Hillary Clinton, Whose Father and Brother Played Football for Penn State, Weighs in on Scandal

BALI, INDONESIA – In addition to a series of foreign policy questions (which we’ll post in a bit), I asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday about the Penn State scandal. Clinton’s father Hugh attended Penn State University, graduating in 1935. Her brother Hugh graduated from Penn State in 1972. Both her father and brother played on the Nittany Lions football team; her dad was a third-string tight end and her brother was backup quarterback.

All five TV networks interviewed Clinton, but ABC News was the only one to ask about Penn State.

TAPPER: As somebody who has been an activist for children for decades you must be personally upset to see what’s coming out of Penn State. And I’m wondering what are your thoughts, not only when you see not only this alleged cover up, but when you see students rioting on behalf of the football program as opposed to on behalf of the victims of this horrible, horrible thing.

CLINTON: Well, I, you know, I am just sick at heart about it. You know, I have done a lot of work on behalf of abused and neglected children over the course of my entire adult life and, um, my heart goes out to any child who is victimized and, you know, without commenting on the allegations they are disturbing to a great extent.

I’m also the daughter and the sister of two men who went to Penn State and were on the football team. So we have a long tradition of supporting Penn State academically and athletically. And I can understand in the passion and emotion of the moments and before people really have a chance to actually think about what these allegations mean and what it says about, you know, values and priorities that people, you know perhaps were not as calm or considered in their response.

But now it seems across the board everyone is focused on what we should be focused on, which are the children who allegedly have been victimized and making sure they’re taken care of, that they’re protected, that their families are given the support that they deserve and that justice is done, whatever the facts and the law might lead.