(CNN) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hit back against criticism her husband, former President Bill Clinton, should have resigned in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and insisted his affair was not an abuse of power and Lewinsky "was an adult."

In an interview with CBS on Sunday morning, Clinton defended her husband and said "absolutely not" in response to a question about whether he should have resigned after his affair with Lewinksy came to light more than 20 years ago.

New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who holds Hillary Clinton's former seat, recently told The New York Times that the former President should have stepped down at the time.

"Yes, I think that is the appropriate response," Gillibrand told the Times, when asked directly about the scandal.

Clinton said the affair between the former President and Lewinsky, a White House intern at the time, was not an abuse of power and said Lewinsky "was an adult."

Read More