Here's the Word Hillary Clinton Uses to Dismiss Questions About Her Controversial Past

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday sidestepped questions about whether foreign country donations to the Clinton Foundation gave them political benefits when she was secretary of State, and her decision to delete thousands of personal emails from the private server she used while she was in the government.

Instead, she summed up those questions with one word, calling them "distractions."

Clinton spoke in New Hampshire with a pre-screened group of people, and then spent two minutes with reporters and took just three quick questions. The first was about whether countries that donated to the Clinton Foundation received any special benefit, but Clinton dodged that question altogether.

"We're back into the political season, and therefore we will be subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks. I'm ready for that," she said. "I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory."

"It is worth noting that Republicans seem to be talking only about me," she added. "I don't know what they'd talk about if I weren't in the race."

The next question was about her campaign style of meeting with small groups, and she said that format helps send the message that she's listening to voters.

"I want people to know I'm listening and I'm accessible, and that I'm running a campaign that is about them, about the needs of the people of New Hampshire and the families of New Hampshire," she said.

The final question was about her email policy, something Congress has said it would investigate by calling her to testify before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. But she dodged that question as well.

"Those issues are, in my view, distractions from what this campaign should be about, what I'm going to make this campaign about," she said. "And I'll let other people decide what they want to talk about. I'm going to talk about what's happening in the lives of people of New Hampshire and across America."