Nov. 14, 2015: Hillary Rodham Clinton shakes hands with Martin O'Malley after a Democratic presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP)
 

Hillary Clinton invoked the 9/11 terror attacks as she defended herself against complaints about her Wall Street donations during Saturday night’s debate, a response that drew bipartisan criticism.

The former New York senator made the reference after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders repeatedly criticized her for taking money from the financial sector and questioned whether she had the independence to overhaul the industry.

“I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked,” Clinton pointed out. “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. That was good for New York.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus slammed Clinton for the comments after the debate in Des Moines ended.

“[I]n a new low, Hillary Clinton shamefully hid behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks in a bizarre attempt to deflect attention from her ties to her wealthy donors,” he said in a statement.