Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endured a partisan 11 hour marathon before the House Benghazi Committee in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endured a partisan 11 hour marathon before the House Benghazi Committee in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The Benghazi Committee's Missed Chance at Clinton's Real Record

Both sides pledged they wouldn’t. Both went after each other anyway.

On Thursday, four newsworthy events happened in the world of national security. The first American service member died in combat in Iraq since 2011, the U.S.-led coalition launched 14 strikes in Iraq and eight in Syria, President Barack Obama vetoed the $612 billion defense authorization bill, and members of the Select Committee on Benghazi spent roughly 11 hours grilling Hillary Clinton with no real new revelations on the 2012 attacks in Libya.

That was the admission from Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., after the marathon hearing wrapped late into the night. His committee, and Clinton, pledged to keep the affair nonpartisan as to not muddy the memory of the late ambassador Chris Stevens and the three other Americans who died in the attacks. But after 11 hours, Republicans seemed to have missed an opportunity to demonstrate tough oversight of the Benghazi attack, or the underlying U.S. counterterrorism strategy Clinton supported at the time, and tried instead to score political points.

“This investigation is about four people who were killed representing our country on foreign soil,” Gowdy said in his opening statement. “Not a single member of this committee signed up to investigate you or your email.”

Yet leading into the hearing, 72 percent of Americans said they think the committee is using the investigation to “gain political advantage,” according to a CNN/ORC poll. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., helped set that perception in late September, when he said, “Every­body thought Hil­lary Clin­ton was un­beat­able right? But we put to­geth­er a Benghazi spe­cial com­mit­tee. A se­lect com­mit­tee. What are her num­bers today?”

On Thursday, Democrats insisted the hearing was a partisan witch hunt, Republicans insisted it wasn’t, and little new was learned about the Benghazi attack. “Why tell the Republicans to shut up when they are telling the truth, but not when they are attacking Secretary Clinton with reckless accusations that are demonstrably false?” said Ranking Member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. He quoted Republican presidential candidates such as Carly Fiorina, who said Clinton has blood on her hands, to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who said Benghazi was a 3 a.m. phone call that she never picked up. “They set up this select committee with no rules, no deadline, and an unlimited budget. And they set them loose, Madam Secretary, because you're running for president.”

Before the hearing ended, Clinton’s presidential rivals began sending out emails calling for supporters to “Stand with Trey.” Clinton’s campaign sent out memos as wellwith its own spin.

The former secretary of state said national security, traditionally, has been an area of bipartisanship in U.S. politics. “We need leadership at home to match our leadership abroad, leadership that puts national security ahead of politics and ideology,” she said. “So I'm here. Despite all the previous investigations and all the talk about partisan agendas, I'm here to honor those we lost."

But she also used the witness chair as a soapbox to make her presidential pitch. “Retreat from the world is not an option. America cannot shrink from our responsibility to lead,” she said later. “That doesn't mean we should ever return to the go-it-alone foreign policy of the past … We need creative, confident leadership that integrates and balances the tools of diplomacy, development and defense.”

Over 17 months, the select committee has held four hearings and conducted some 54 interviews or depositions to the tune of roughly $4.7 million. Beyond Gowdy’s probe, there has been one internal investigation and seven other congressional investigations into Benghazi, all of which cleared Clinton and other government officials of wrongdoing.

By contrast, Congress convened two committees to investigate the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 Americans and prompted the “War on Terror” that led to invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Meanwhile, the House Select committee uncovered Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state, triggering an FBI probe into whether security was compromised. After the release of tens of thousands of emails, the committee has not drawn any connection between that practice and the attacks. Republicans repeatedly asked Clinton to explain why she seemingly had far more emails relating to Libya from former Clinton advisor and confident Sidney Blumenthal than from Stevens, or other staffers.

Clinton said she did not have a computer in her State Department office. “I did not conduct most of the business I did on behalf of our country on email,” she said. “I don't want you to have a mistaken impression about what I did and how I did it.”

The former secretary has struggled with perceptions of untrustworthiness due in part to the hyperfocus on her emails. But with the hearing, Republicans handed Clinton her highest-profile, most expansive opportunity yet to put the server controversy behind her and go on the offensive on her national security record.

Clinton was calm but firm through most of the hearing, but grew more audibly exasperated as it dragged on. "Look, we have diplomatic facilities in war zones," she said to Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., who retorted: "And you're their boss."

"You're right,” Clinton said. “You're right I am."

But Republicans failed to exploit perhaps Clinton’s greatest national security vulnerability: the subsequent unraveling of Libya since 2011. Clinton was one of the strongest advocates for the military intervention that removed Gaddafi but created a power vacuum that warring factions and an increasingly potent Islamic State are fighting to fill.

“You persuaded President Obama to intervene militarily. Isn't that right?” Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill. asked.

“I supported doing what we could to support our European and Arab partners in their effort on a humanitarian basis, a strategic basis, to prevent Gaddafi from launching and carrying massacres,” Clinton responded.

“Our Libya policy be couldn't have happened without you because you were its chief architect,” Roskam said later. “Things in Libya today are a disaster.”

Said Clinton, “That's not a view that I will ascribe to.”

Shortly after the exchange, the Clinton campaign sent reporters a press release titled: “In Libya, Clinton Worked with Our Allies to Stand Up to a Murderous Dictator.”

“The current unrest in Libya is concerning and must be addressed – but the alternative would have been far worse,” it reads. “Had we opted for inaction, Libya would look something like what Syria looks like today.”

But lawmakers spent little more time than that amid the day-long hearing on Clinton’s role in the U.S. counterterrorism strategy that contributed to the conflict in Libya, and elsewhere. It’s not that Clinton refused to give answers on Benghazi; she admittedly doesn’t have them for the chaos she helped create in Libya, and what she’d do differently to reverse it as commander in chief.

What lessons has she drawn to upgrade the Clinton doctrine of “smart power”? Eleven hours, and the committee didn’t really ask, nor did Clinton really answer.

“[Stevens] understood we will never prevent every act of terrorism or achieve perfect security and that we inevitably must accept a level of risk to protect our country and advance our interests and values,” she said. “And make no mistake, the risks are real.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.