Hillary Clinton waits for the beginning of a hearing before the House Select Committee on Benghazi on October 22, 2015 in Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. (AFP)
Washington, United States:
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton took the stand today to defend her role in responding to deadly attacks on the US mission in Libya, as Republicans forged ahead with an inquiry criticized as partisan anti-Clinton propaganda.
Clinton, who served as President Barack Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, arrived for a highly-anticipated public appearance before the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi that left four Americans dead including ambassador Christopher Stevens.
"I'm here to honor the service of those four men," Clinton said in opening remarks.
If she performs well today, Clinton could convince skeptical voters that it is time to move on from the controversy that has dogged her campaign.
But should she stumble during such a consequential day of her campaign, Clinton could face a heightened barrage of Republican attacks on her judgment and diplomatic acumen during the 13-month run up to the November 2016 election.
Clinton is expected to advocate for a muscular foreign policy, stressing the need for the United States to accept risks as it pursues its vital interests in a dangerous world, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing a summary of her testimony.
She will understood that diplomats can not hide away in fortified outposts in global hotspots and expect make diplomatic gains, the paper said.
The Benghazi committee has been deeply controversial, and in recent weeks GOP lawmakers including the number two Republican in the House, Kevin McCarthy, suggested that the panel served to help damage Clinton's standing in the presidential race.
Chairman Trey Gowdy has insisted his committee is "not investigating Secretary Clinton" or allegations of how she handled classified information, but the events of 2012 and the decisions made before, during and after the attacks.
"Madam secretary, I understand there are people frankly in both parties who have suggested that this investigation is about you," he said today.
"Let me assure you, it is not," he said, insisting it was driven by respect for the Benghazi victims.
"They deserve the truth. They deserve the whole truth. They deserve nothing but the truth," Gowdy said in opening remarks.
Congress conducted seven probes into the attack, and Clinton launched an Accountability Review Board to investigate the events.
The board's report did not fault the State Department for the terror attacks but cited "systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels" that resulted in an inadequate security posture.
Biden decision eased pressure
Democrats have staunchly defended Clinton, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who called the committee "nothing more than a political hit job" on her.
"They said be ready for eight hours of interrogation. And that's what this is, interrogation."
The Benghazi tragedy has hovered over Clinton for three years, threatening to upend her presidential candidacy especially after the committee's investigation led to the revelation that she used a homebrew email account and server during her tenure as America's top diplomat.
Democrats have debated whether Clinton was a wounded candidate made vulnerable by the Benghazi probe, considerations that no doubt reached Vice President Joe Biden as he mulled his own White House run.
But Biden's announcement Wednesday that he will not seek the presidency likely eased pressure on Clinton less than 24 hours before her appearance before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
Democrats have called for the committee's abolition, arguing it has cost taxpayers nearly $5 million and dragged on far too long.
They seized on McCarthy's remarks, and those of Republican congressman Richard Hanna who said the committee was "designed to go after" Clinton, as evidence the panel seeks to sabotage her presidential bid.
Republican committee member Mike Pompeo said he expected Clinton would be asked about whom she contacted on the night of the attack.
"I expect we'll have many questions about who acted, who spoke and why it was the case that the response was insufficient to address the needs of the men on the ground," Pompeo told Fox News.
Clinton, who served as President Barack Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, arrived for a highly-anticipated public appearance before the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi that left four Americans dead including ambassador Christopher Stevens.
"I'm here to honor the service of those four men," Clinton said in opening remarks.
If she performs well today, Clinton could convince skeptical voters that it is time to move on from the controversy that has dogged her campaign.
But should she stumble during such a consequential day of her campaign, Clinton could face a heightened barrage of Republican attacks on her judgment and diplomatic acumen during the 13-month run up to the November 2016 election.
Clinton is expected to advocate for a muscular foreign policy, stressing the need for the United States to accept risks as it pursues its vital interests in a dangerous world, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing a summary of her testimony.
She will understood that diplomats can not hide away in fortified outposts in global hotspots and expect make diplomatic gains, the paper said.
The Benghazi committee has been deeply controversial, and in recent weeks GOP lawmakers including the number two Republican in the House, Kevin McCarthy, suggested that the panel served to help damage Clinton's standing in the presidential race.
Chairman Trey Gowdy has insisted his committee is "not investigating Secretary Clinton" or allegations of how she handled classified information, but the events of 2012 and the decisions made before, during and after the attacks.
"Madam secretary, I understand there are people frankly in both parties who have suggested that this investigation is about you," he said today.
"Let me assure you, it is not," he said, insisting it was driven by respect for the Benghazi victims.
"They deserve the truth. They deserve the whole truth. They deserve nothing but the truth," Gowdy said in opening remarks.
Congress conducted seven probes into the attack, and Clinton launched an Accountability Review Board to investigate the events.
The board's report did not fault the State Department for the terror attacks but cited "systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels" that resulted in an inadequate security posture.
Biden decision eased pressure
Democrats have staunchly defended Clinton, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who called the committee "nothing more than a political hit job" on her.
"They said be ready for eight hours of interrogation. And that's what this is, interrogation."
The Benghazi tragedy has hovered over Clinton for three years, threatening to upend her presidential candidacy especially after the committee's investigation led to the revelation that she used a homebrew email account and server during her tenure as America's top diplomat.
Democrats have debated whether Clinton was a wounded candidate made vulnerable by the Benghazi probe, considerations that no doubt reached Vice President Joe Biden as he mulled his own White House run.
But Biden's announcement Wednesday that he will not seek the presidency likely eased pressure on Clinton less than 24 hours before her appearance before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
Democrats have called for the committee's abolition, arguing it has cost taxpayers nearly $5 million and dragged on far too long.
They seized on McCarthy's remarks, and those of Republican congressman Richard Hanna who said the committee was "designed to go after" Clinton, as evidence the panel seeks to sabotage her presidential bid.
Republican committee member Mike Pompeo said he expected Clinton would be asked about whom she contacted on the night of the attack.
"I expect we'll have many questions about who acted, who spoke and why it was the case that the response was insufficient to address the needs of the men on the ground," Pompeo told Fox News.
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