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Hillary Clinton has described the State Departments handling of the case of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng as an important achievement during her time at Foggy Bottom a reminder that our defense of universal human rights is one of Americas greatest sources of strength.

But Chen himself was not so impressed.

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In his new memoir, the so-called barefoot lawyer, who managed against all odds to flee house arrest and seek refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in 2012, writes about feeling extreme pressure from Clinton aides to quickly accept a deal with the Chinese one that he feared would expose him and his family to more abuse. He suggests that at times he felt as if U.S. diplomats had misled him, and he undercuts Clintons assertion in her recent memoir that U.S. officials had done what Chen said he wanted every step of the way.

At least one of the aides involved is disputing Chens recollections, but the memoir could nonetheless put another dent in Clintons armor as she prepares for a 2016 presidential run. The presumptive Democratic frontrunner, already under fire over her use of a private email server during her time at State and her family foundations ties to foreign countries, is expected to make her tenure as Americas top diplomat a key part of her appeal to voters. On Thursday, the Republican National Committee sent out an email drawing attention to Chens claims.

The negotiations over what to do with Chen were happening at a sensitive time Clinton and other U.S. officials were in Beijing for the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, a major pillar of the Obama administrations engagement strategy. Although Chen avoids directly criticizing Clinton, he writes that he felt as if her staffers were willing to bend way too far to accommodate Chinese demands.

For example, Chen writes that he felt pressured to go to a Chinese-run hospital to attend to his foot, which he broke as he fled his home, instead of an internationally run hospital where he would have felt safer. He was particularly incensed at Chinese demands that he have no contact with the media during his hospital stay, arguing it violated his freedom of speech. And he was appalled when U.S. officials leaned on him to agree to Chinas demands that he attend a Chinese university instead of New York Universitys campus in Shanghai, which had invited him to study and where he would have felt safer.

Chen also suggests there was an alarming disconnect between State Department diplomats on the ground and the decision-makers back in Washington.

In one passage, Chen alleges that at an April 27, 2012, meeting of the National Security Council with President Barack Obama, it was decided that his case must not hurt U.S.-China relations, and that he should be prevented from having Internet access steps I took to indicate that the White House no longer supported me and that I was to leave the embassy in short order. The NSC press office declined comment Thursday.

Chen, a largely self-taught activist who challenged the Chinese government on forced abortions and other issues, had been imprisoned for several years on trumped-up charges before being placed under a lengthy and unofficial house arrest, where he was constantly harassed and abused by local officials. Above all, Chen wanted Chinas top leaders to investigate his ordeal, punish those responsible for his poor treatment, and ensure that he and his relatives would be safe and free. He writes that he repeated these demands to U.S. officials over and over, but they kept pressing him to accept the deal with the Chinese, saying he might face charges of treason if he didnt move quickly.

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Hillary Clinton and the case of Chen Guangcheng