By By Larry Clifton Jul 8, 2014 in Politics Washington - In 1975, Hillary Clinton defended 41-year-old rapist Thomas Alfred Taylor who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old child. Clinton, then a 27-year-old Arkansas attorney, used a variation of the “she was asking for it” defense. Mrs. Clinton faces many hurdles in her unannounced, unofficial presidential campaign for 2016; however, her successful defense of a rapist, a man convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, may be among the hardest to clear with voters. "When I was a 27-year-old attorney doing legal aid work at the [University of Arkansas] where I taught in Fayetteville, Arkansas, I was appointed by the local judge to represent a criminal defendant accused of rape," she said when questioned about her role in the trial during an interview with British online network Mumsnet. "I asked to be relieved of that responsibility, but I was not. And I had a professional duty to represent my client to the best of my ability, which I did." Mrs. Clinton seized on technical loopholes over bloody underwear submitted as evidence and called into question the girl's emotional stability, arguing she had exhibited "a tendency to seek out older men and engage in... fantasizing," according to a Clinton essentially blamed the 12-year-old child for seducing the 41-year-old man who raped her. According to some reports, it is Mrs. Clinton's cold, dismissive conversational tone when discussing the case that is most troubling. Clinton had just moved to Fayetteville to run the University of Arkansas' new legal aid clinic when she accepted the case. 'This guy was accused of raping a 12-year-old. Course he claimed that he didn’t, and all this stuff,' says Clinton. ' I had him take a polygraph, which he passed – which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs,' For her part, Mrs. Clinton would have us believe she was just doing her job In a low point for Arkansas law, Mrs. Clinton submitted a sworn affidavit aimed at coercing a psychiatric evaluation of the sixth-grade victim, that suggested that 12-year-old girls tend to “fantasize sexual experiences and that adolescents with disorganized families, such as the complainant, are even more prone to such behavior." To some, Clinton’s good-old-boy style of lawyering is more than offensive, it is vile, anti-woman and darkly reprehensible. Documents about the trial indicate Mrs. Clinton believed her client was indeed guilty. In a subsequent interview the Democrat said the polygraph test Taylor managed to pass "forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs." Clinton’s attempt to blame a polygraph for her successful defense of a child rapist in 1975 is the kind of political hypocrisy most people understand and detest. Taylor was facing 30 years to life in prison when Mrs. Clinton negotiated a plea deal of one year in prison for the rape conviction plus 4 years of probation.Mrs. Clinton faces many hurdles in her unannounced, unofficial presidential campaign for 2016; however, her successful defense of a rapist, a man convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, may be among the hardest to clear with voters."When I was a 27-year-old attorney doing legal aid work at the [University of Arkansas] where I taught in Fayetteville, Arkansas, I was appointed by the local judge to represent a criminal defendant accused of rape," she said when questioned about her role in the trial during an interview with British online network Mumsnet. "I asked to be relieved of that responsibility, but I was not. And I had a professional duty to represent my client to the best of my ability, which I did."Mrs. Clinton seized on technical loopholes over bloody underwear submitted as evidence and called into question the girl's emotional stability, arguing she had exhibited "a tendency to seek out older men and engage in... fantasizing," according to a CBS news report Clinton essentially blamed the 12-year-old child for seducing the 41-year-old man who raped her. According to some reports, it is Mrs. Clinton's cold, dismissive conversational tone when discussing the case that is most troubling.Clinton had just moved to Fayetteville to run the University of Arkansas' new legal aid clinic when she accepted the case.'This guy was accused of raping a 12-year-old. Course he claimed that he didn’t, and all this stuff,' says Clinton.' I had him take a polygraph, which he passed – which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs,' she says with a laugh , according to one report.For her part, Mrs. Clinton would have us believe she was just doing her job upholding justice , and that may be so, technically speaking. Especially considering Mrs. Clinton got Taylor off with a light sentence on a technicality. However, Mrs. Clinton was not bound by law to defend a rapist. She could have declined, even if it cost her job. It was a conscious choice that she made from start to end of trial.In a low point for Arkansas law, Mrs. Clinton submitted a sworn affidavit aimed at coercing a psychiatric evaluation of the sixth-grade victim, that suggested that 12-year-old girls tend to “fantasize sexual experiences and that adolescents with disorganized families, such as the complainant, are even more prone to such behavior."To some, Clinton’s good-old-boy style of lawyering is more than offensive, it is vile, anti-woman and darkly reprehensible.Documents about the trial indicate Mrs. Clinton believed her client was indeed guilty. In a subsequent interview the Democrat said the polygraph test Taylor managed to pass "forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs."Clinton’s attempt to blame a polygraph for her successful defense of a child rapist in 1975 is the kind of political hypocrisy most people understand and detest. This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com More about hillary thomas alfred taylor, hillary defends rapist, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Child molestation More news from hillary thomas alfre... hillary defends rapi... Hillary Rodham Clint... Child molestation