I recently watched an interview featuring Danny Williams, the young man who claims to be the illegitimate son of Bill Clinton, in a video aired on Infowars.com. While the validity of Williams’ claim can’t be ascertained without a DNA test, which Williams claims did not happen despite false reports to the contrary, I couldn’t help but be touched by this young man.

Everyone wants to be validated, to be known, to be loved, and to know where they came from. In this case, it appears Williams knows where he comes from but no one is listening. The British journal that first published the claim that a DNA test of Bill Clinton had cleared him of being the father of Williams has now admitted that it was inaccurate. However, the error has not been widely corrected in the media.

Williams’ story of seeking validation from an absent parent isn’t all that unique, but it is poignant in light of the terrible conditions he suffered throughout his childhood while his purported father lived as the most powerful man in the West.

In the video, Williams’ tells of going from one foster home to the next, of often going to bed hungry, of dropping out of school to care for his younger siblings, and even being suicidal for a time. His pleas to just meet his father and speak with him appear genuine, as does his assertion that he wants nothing from the Clintons other than to meet his father in person.

Williams, who readily admits that his mother was a prostitute, says that while the Clintons were in Arkansas, she received $700 every month in child support as well as Christmas presents that were delivered to their home by the Arkansas police, all of which abruptly ended when the Clintons moved to their Pennsylvania Avenue address.

Nothing is more painful than being ignored and abandoned, but the specter of the Williams story is meant to raise the question of whether Hillary Clinton was responsible for Danny’s freeze out. By all accounts, Hillary was well aware of Bill’s peccadilloes and tolerated his indiscretions, but her lust for the presidency was not to be undone by an illegitimate son of a black prostitute. According to Williams, the child support and the gifts stopped after Bill was elected to the White House.

The timing of the release of the video is suspect except for two things. First, it isn’t wrong to examine any story that may shed light on a presidential candidate’s character, whether that be Trump or Hillary Clinton. By this account, the timing is appropriate and defensible. Second, it appears Williams first raised his claims of paternity in the 1990s and the media mishandled the facts of the DNA test.

Perhaps Williams is using Hillary’s bid for the presidency in the hope that his pleas will finally be hearad and he will be validated while the Clintons are center stage or perhaps it really is a smear tactic by Trump supporters. But I don’t think so. Given the Clintons’ penchant for secrecy and coverups, however, a DNA test isn’t likely to happen any time soon. The problematic question of whether Bill Clinton had a black illegitimate son he chose to ignore and whether Hillary treated Danny as the pejorative “nigger in the woodpile” will go unanswered this election. Still, I can’t help but be haunted by this young man’s desire to be validated and can only wish him the peace he deserves. In this case, unanswered prayers may be a blessing in disguise.