CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Former South Carolina Governor and current presidential candidate Nikki Haley is having to explain herself after a question about the origin of the United States Civil War brought an unexpected answer. Haley, in a town hall event in New Hampshire, claimed the Civil War started because of the government attempting to delineate what states could do and the "freedoms of what people could and couldn’t do.” She omitted the mention of slavery being a root issue in the conflict, and as a result, she has spent Thursday walking back her comments. More below: https://abcnews4.com/news/local/nikki-haley-backtracks-on-civil-war-claim-historian-says-her-comments-are-still-questionable# #nikkihaley #civilwar #politics #republican #electionnews #southcarolina #localnews #newsnearyou #gop #charleston ____________________ ABC News 4 (WCIV-TV) covers local news, weather, sports and more in the Charleston, South Carolina metro area and surrounding communities. Website - https://abcnews4.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/abcnews4 Twitter - https://twitter.com/abcnews4 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/abcnews4/ Download our iOS Apps: News - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/abc-news-4/id392354636 Weather - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/abc-news-4-storm-tracker/id416558260 Download our Android Apps: News - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cellit.cellitnews.wciv Weather - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wciv.android.weather Submit news tips: [email protected] Submit photo/video: https://abcnews4.com/chimein