According to Branch, Bill expressed some regret that he signed the Defense of Marriage Act—which allowed states to pass laws restricting gay marriage—saying “I thought it was right at the time, and I’m not sure that it is.”

“[Bill] said, ‘Generally I support the gay agenda right down the line,’” said Branch. “He said this was hard for me, and I’m sure there are still a few things that are hard for me to swallow.”

However, he told Branch, “Hillary, emotionally speaking, still finds the issue harder to swallow than I do. And that it could be difficult for her in New York politics, how far she’ll be asked to go.”

Branch added that Clinton was “essentially I think saying that Hillary had kind of a conservative religious temperament, and was not likely to be comfortable around gay people who were kind of acting out, or pushing her to the limit. She did have general discomfort.”