After Hillary Clinton launched an awkward defense of her ties to Wall Street bankers — the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 — even her former campaign manager couldn’t defend it.

Patty Solis Doyle, who was campaign manager for Clinton in 2000, 2006 and 2008, appeared on CNN after last night’s Democratic presidential debate.

“Patty Solis Doyle, you’re a former Hillary Clinton campaign manager. Was that a rehearsed statement?” anchor Wolf Blitzer asked.

“Do you think she came in to this debate tonight knowing Bernie Sanders was going to go after her on her contacts, her connections to Wall Street, and she had this answer ready?”

Doyle responded, “… I do think the 9/11 reference was probably better used when she was talking about terrorism. She was senator when the 9/11 attacks happened. She was the senator when we needed to rebuild that city. And it would have been more powerful talking about terrorism.”

According to the Weekly Standard, during the debate, Clinton responded to a Sanders attack by saying:

He [Sanders] has used his answer to…. basically… impugn my integrity. Let’s be frank here. [Crosstalk]. Wait a minute, Senator. [Crowd hushes.] You know, not only do I have hundreds of thousands of donors, most of them small. And I’m very proud that, for the first time, a majority of my donors are women. 60 percent.

So, I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9/11, when we were attacked. 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. It was good for New York, it was good for the economy, and it was a way to rebuke the terrorists who attacked our country. So it’s fine for you to say what you’re gonna say, but I looked very carefully at your proposal, reinstating Glass Steagall, is a part of what very well could help, but is nowhere enough. My proposal is tougher, more effective and more comprehensive, because I go after all of Wall Street, not just the big banks.