After weird 'halftime show,' ABC restarts Democratic debate without Hillary Clinton

ABC Democratic presidential debate
(Image credit: Screenshot / YouTube)

The Democratic field briefly dwindled to just two after an unconventional intermission smack in the middle of ABC's presidential debate Saturday night. After some mid-debate analysis from ABC's Jon Karl and George Stephanopoulos, the debate started again. The camera panned back to the stage, and the nation saw Hillary Clinton's podium empty between Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley. "We believe Secretary Clinton will be coming around the corner any minute now," moderator David Muir said.

About 30 seconds later, and with another question already underway, Clinton strode back onstage. She offered the audience a brief apology for her absence: "Sorry."

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