WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney suggested Sunday that the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal will not be an issue if Hillary Rodham Clinton runs for president again.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in recent weeks has pressed the issue, citing Bill Clinton’s “predatory” behavior and suggesting that Americans should think twice about putting him in the White House again as the spouse of a president.

But Romney said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Hillary Clinton will be judged on her own merits. “I don’t think Bill Clinton is as relevant as Hillary Clinton if Hillary Clinton decides to run for president,” the 2012 Republican presidential nominee said. “I think her record is what will be judged upon, not the record of her husband.”

Romney said that Bill Clinton “embarrassed” the nation with his behavior. “But I don’t think that’s Hillary Clinton’s to explain,” he said.

Paul has been careful to avoid directly attacking Hillary Clinton for her husband’s affair, focusing on the issue more as a counterpoint to Democrats’ allegations that Republicans are waging a “war on women.” But the attacks suggest Paul might focus on the issue as a 2016 presidential candidate.

As for his own potential 2016 candidacy, Romney continued to say that it is not happening.

When it was noted that Ronald Reagan ran for president three times, Romney had a retort: “I’m not Ronald Reagan. I think that’s been pointed out to me before.”