5 memorable news conferences from Hillary Clinton, other politicos

Crisis communications is a tricky thing to master in politics. The playbook states that it is best to acknowledge the issue and take responsibility, but the outcome isn't always neat or tidy.

Here's a look at how Hillary Rodham Clinton and other politicos handled questions from reporters amid controversy:

Hillary Rodham Clinton

While she was first lady, Clinton spoke to reporters for 66 minutes to answer questions about her role in the Whitewater real estate investment and other financial dealings. Clinton, always guarded with the news media, had resisted for months. "I've always believed in a zone of privacy, and I told a friend the other day that I feel after resisting for a long time, I've been rezoned," she said in April 1994. As she sat beneath Abraham Lincoln's portrait in the State Dining Room of the White House, Clinton was calm as she took questions and never referred to her notes.

Geraldine Ferraro

If Clinton had a guide on how to handle reporters seeking questions on Whitewater, it was written by Geraldine Ferraro a decade earlier. The first woman tapped as a running mate on a major-party presidential ticket was besieged by questions about her husband's tax returns. Ferraro, a congresswoman and Walter Mondale's pick as vice president, had originally promised to release the returns and then reneged -- which sparked a new round of negative coverage. The New York Democrat took questions from 200 reporters for nearly two hours on Aug. 21, 1984 — and the marathon press conference to quiet a political storm was born. Ferraro died in 2011.

Mark Sanford

Just hours after a reporter confronted him in 2009 following a trip to Buenos Aires, Mark Sanford admitted lying about his whereabouts and confessed to an extramarital affair. At the time, he was governor of South Carolina and a rising Republican star mentioned as a possible presidential candidate. Sanford wiped away tears, invoked Scripture and rambled, as he explained in the hastily arranged news conference how his relationship with Maria Belen Chapur evolved. The 18-minute news conference in June 2009 stands today as one of the most awkward public displays by a politician. Sanford won his old seat in Congress in a 2013 special election but has broken off his engagement to Chapur.

Anthony Weiner

A week after claiming his Twitter account was hacked, then-congressman Anthony Weiner tearfully apologized in June 2011 and admitted he had posted a photo of himself in his underwear to a woman via Twitter. The New York Democrat used words like "dumb" and "deeply hurtful" to explain his actions and how he had betrayed his wife, Huma Abedin (who happens to be a longtime aide to Clinton). "I lied because I was ashamed at what had I had done, and I didn't want to get caught," Weiner said at the time. Weiner did not resign from the House until almost 10 days later, in a chaotic and brief news conference in which he was heckled and called a "pervert" by someone in the audience. Fast forward to 2013 when Weiner attempted a political comeback, in a bid to be mayor of New York City. He faced the news media again to admit he continued sexting with women even after he resigned from Congress. Abedin was at his side and said: "I love him; I have forgiven him." Weiner finished fourth in the Democratic primary for mayor that year, well behind eventual winner Bill de Blasio.

Chris Christie

In a dramatic two-hour news conference, Chris Christie apologized and took responsibility for politically motivated lane closings on the George Washington Bridge that were carried out by members of his administration. The fallout from the Bridgegate scandal continues to shape views in New Jersey about Christie, as the governor prepares for a likely 2016 presidential campaign. Known for his combative style, Christie was anything but in his January 2014 meeting with reporters in Trenton. He was somber and showed contrition and asked for forgiveness. "I am heartbroken that someone I permitted to be in that circle of trust for the past five years betrayed that trust," Christie said then. Christie's support in New Jersey is at a record low, according to Rutgers-Eagleton poll released in February, with 15% of the state's voters citing the Bridgegate scandal as a reason.