AP WAS THERE: Clinton takes questions on Whitewater in 1994

FILE - In this April 22, 1994 file photo, then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton meets reporters in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. In a conciliatory appearance before the press, Hillary Rodham Clinton blamed her own efforts to protect her privacy for allowing questions about the Whitewater land deal to spiral. The first lady invited reporters into the State Dining Room to take any question put to her in an hour-plus appearance carried live on all the major television networks. With a wry smile, her elbow perched on the side of a chair, Mrs. Clinton told reporters that, after aggressively trying to protect her zone of privacy, "I've been rezoned." She added that questions and confusion over the Clintons' financial dealings were "our responsibility." (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File) FILE - In this April 22, 1994 file photo, then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton meets reporters in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. In a conciliatory appearance before the press, Hillary Rodham Clinton blamed her own efforts to protect her privacy for allowing questions about the Whitewater land deal to spiral. The first lady invited reporters into the State Dining Room to take any question put to her in an hour-plus appearance carried live on all the major television networks. With a wry smile, her elbow perched on the side of a chair, Mrs. Clinton told reporters that, after aggressively trying to protect her zone of privacy, "I've been rezoned." She added that questions and confusion over the Clintons' financial dealings were "our responsibility." (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

By Associated Press March 10, 2015 4 min read

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hillary Rodham Clinton has a long history of difficult relations with the media. In a news conference on April 22, 1994, the then-first lady answered questions about the Clintons’ investment in a failed land deal known as Whitewater and her own lucrative commodities trades.

Clinton turned conciliatory that day and blamed herself for being “less understanding than I needed to of the press and the public’s interest.” She said that after aggressively trying to protect her zone of privacy, “I’ve been rezoned.”

Now the presumed front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton is facing criticism over her use of a private email account when she was secretary of state, sidestepping the government email system. The AP is making available its original report on Clinton’s 1994 news conference.

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WASHINGTON (AP) – In a conciliatory appearance before the press, Hillary Rodham Clinton blamed her own efforts to protect her privacy for allowing questions about the Whitewater land deal to spiral.