In a two-sentence December 3 article discussing the November 30 hostage situation at the Rochester, New Hampshire, presidential campaign office of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) in which the hostage-taker reportedly demanded to talk to Clinton, the New York Post reported: “Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton volunteered to personally negotiate with the crackpot who took over one of her New Hampshire campaign offices, she revealed yesterday. Clinton offered to speak directly to suspect Leeland Eisenberg, 46, in the hours he was holed up with hostages he took at her Rochester headquarters on Friday, she said.” However, the Post did not quote Clinton directly, nor did it report that, in a statement released during the hostage situation, the Clinton campaign said that Clinton was acting at the direction of state and local authorities, and that, according to the Associated Press, Clinton said that law enforcement officials told her she could not talk to Eisenberg.

As Media Matters for America documented, the Clinton campaign released a statement during the hostage situation that said, “There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, NH office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction. We will release additional details as appropriate.” Additionally, a December 2 AP article reported, " 'I offered to talk to him,' Clinton said Sunday. 'I offered to go up there and meet with him. I offered to do anything to help this end peacefully.' But law enforcement officials said 'I absolutely could not talk to him.' " Further, during the December 2 edition of ABC's World News Sunday, correspondent David Kerley reported: “The suspect demanded to talk to Clinton. She told police she was willing, but authorities declined the offer.” Kerley also reported that, during the hostage incident, Clinton was “on the phone with state police” and aired a statement from New Hampshire State Police director Col. Frederick H. Booth saying that Clinton “offer[ed] her services in any way that she could.”

From the December 2 edition of ABC's World News Sunday:

DAN HARRIS (anchor): Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire, is still closed tonight, two days after a hostage drama unfolded there. Tonight, we're going to take you inside this crisis, a crisis now being closely examined for clues about Hillary Clinton's leadership style and political instinct. ABC's David Kerley is in Rochester tonight.

[begin video clip]

KERLEY: 12:35: a man walks into Clinton's campaign office in this small New Hampshire town, saying he has a bomb strapped to his body. Moments after hearing the news, Hillary Clinton is on the phone with the governor -- the first of eight calls.

GOV. JOHN LYNCH (D-NH): She offered to do everything possible, including coming up right away, if that's what was suggested or recommended.

KERLEY: Clinton was asked to stay put in Washington, but she quickly cancelled all campaigning, including a speech in Virginia. She was on the phone with state police, as they were deploying officers.

BOOTH: I was impressed in the fact that she would at least reach out and talk to us at our level and offer her services in any way that she could.

KERLEY: The suspect demanded to talk to Clinton. She told police she was willing, but authorities declined the offer.

CLINTON: He kept telling my staff, “I need to talk to her because I have to have help. I tried to get help but nobody will help me.”

KERLEY: Clinton did dedicate half her staff to get in touch with the hostages' families. Just after 3 o'clock, the first of the three hostages was released. Over the next couple of hours, Clinton made calls to the Secret Service, the FBI, and the families.

CLINTON: Those are the most emotional ones, I have to tell you, calling them in the first instance to tell them what had happened. Some of them had already heard it from the media.

KERLEY: At 5:30, another hostage released, followed 10 minutes later by the final staffer walking out. Their names have still not been released. Within a couple of hours, Clinton was in New Hampshire, meeting face-to-face with the families.

Every move by a presidential candidate can have political overtones, and the Clinton campaign was well aware of that from the very beginning of the standoff in this office.

MARK HALPERIN (ABC News political analyst): It's rare in the context of a presidential campaign to get a chance to show yourself in a moment of crisis, right before voters' eyes, right when they're making decisions about who to vote for. Hillary Clinton got that opportunity, and she made the best of it.

KERLEY: With a tightening race, it could make a difference. David Kerley, ABC News, Rochester, New Hampshire.