Hillary Clinton

===Benghazi attack and subsequent hearings===
{{See also|2012 Benghazi attack|United States House Select Committee on Benghazi}}
[[File:Obama and Clinton at Transfer of Remains Ceremony for Benghazi attack victims Sep 14, 2012.jpg|thumb|alt=Obama and Clinton at a somber occasion, honoring the Benghazi attack victims at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony, held at Andrews Air Force Base on September 14, 2012. Soldiers are standing behind Obama and Clinton, and everyone is standing on a large wooden floor with their left hands to their side and their right hands on their upper chests.|Obama and Clinton honor the [[Benghazi attack]] victims at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony, held at [[Andrews Air Force Base]] on September 14, 2012.]]

On September 11, 2012, [[2012 Benghazi attack|the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked]], resulting in the deaths of the U.S. Ambassador, [[J. Christopher Stevens]] and three other Americans. The attack, questions surrounding the security of the U.S. consulate, and the [[2012 Benghazi attack#U.S. government response|varying explanations given afterward by administration officials]] for what had happened became politically controversial in the U.S.<ref name="cnn-attack-resp">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/15/us/clinton-benghazi/index.html |title=Clinton: I'm responsible for diplomats' security |author=Labott, Elise |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> On October 15, Clinton took responsibility for the question of security lapses saying the differing explanations were due to the inevitable [[fog of war]] confusion after such events.<ref name="cnn-attack-resp"/><ref>{{cite news |author=Gordon, Michael |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/world/africa/clinton-takes-responsibility-for-libya-security-failure.html |title=Clinton Takes Responsibility for Security Failure in Libya |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

On December 19, a panel led by [[Thomas R. Pickering]] and [[Michael Mullen]] issued its report on the matter. It was sharply critical of State Department officials in Washington for ignoring requests for more guards and safety upgrades and for failing to adapt security procedures to a deteriorating security environment.<ref name="upi-arb">{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/12/19/Clinton-accepts-Benghazi-panel-guidance/UPI-34121355896475/ |title=Three in State Dept. resign after report |work=[[United Press International]] |date=December 19, 2012}}</ref> It focused its criticism on the department's [[Bureau of Diplomatic Security]] and [[Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs]]; four State Department officials at the assistant secretary level and below were removed from their posts as a consequence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/us/politics/3-state-dept-officials-resign-following-benghazi-report.html |title=4 Are Out at State Dept. After Scathing Report on Benghazi Attack |author=Gordon, Michael R. |author2=Schmitt, Eric |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 19, 2012}}</ref> Clinton said she accepted the conclusions of the report and that changes were underway to implement its suggested recommendations.<ref name="upi-arb"/>

Clinton gave testimony to two congressional foreign affairs committees on January 23, 2013, regarding the Benghazi attack. She defended her actions in response to the incident, and while still accepting formal responsibility, said she had had no direct role in specific discussions beforehand regarding consulate security.<ref name="cnn-0123-hearings">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/23/politics/clinton-benghazi/index.html |title=Clinton takes on Benghazi critics, warns of more security threats |author=Dougherty, Jill |author2=Cohen, Tom |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=January 24, 2013}}</ref> Congressional Republicans challenged her on several points, to which she responded. In particular, after persistent questioning about whether or not the administration had issued inaccurate "talking points" after the attack, Clinton responded with the much-quoted rejoinder, "With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided that they'd they go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator."<ref name="cnn-0123-hearings"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/may/08/context-hillary-clintons-what-difference-does-it-m/ |title=In Context: Hillary Clinton's 'What difference does it make' comment |website=[[PolitiFact]] |date=May 8, 2013}}</ref>
In November 2014, the [[House Intelligence Committee]] issued a report that concluded there had been no wrongdoing in the administration's response to the attack.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-house-benghazi-20141123-story.html |title=GOP panel on Benghazi finds no Obama administration wrongdoing |agency=Associated Press |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 22, 2014}}</ref>

The Republican-led [[United States House Select Committee on Benghazi|House Select Committee on Benghazi]] was created in May 2014 and conducted a two-year investigation related to the 2012 attack.<ref name="usa-bengcom">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/28/analysis-house-benghazi-committee-report-clinton/86475012/ |title=Analysis: House Benghazi Committee report was drowned by politics |author=Singer, Paul |work=[[USA Today]] |date=June 28, 2016}}</ref> The committee was criticized as partisan,<ref name="usa-bengcom"/><ref name="nyt-bengcom"/> including by one of its ex-staffers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diamond |first=Jake Tapper, Jeremy |date=October 10, 2015 |title=Ex-staffer: Benghazi committee pursuing 'partisan investigation' targeting Hillary Clinton {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/10/politics/benghazi-committee-investigation-political-hillary-clinton-brad-podliska-lawsuit/index.html |access-date=December 20, 2022 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Some Republicans admitted that the committee aimed to lower Clinton's poll numbers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/30/boehners-likely-successor-credits-benghazi-committee-for-lowering-hillary-clintons-poll-numbers/ |title=Boehner's likely successor credits Benghazi committee for lowering Hillary Clinton's poll numbers |author=Weigel, David |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Jonathan |date=October 15, 2015 |title=House Republican says Benghazi committee was "designed" to hit Clinton |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/10/15/9539481/republican-benghazi-committee-designed |access-date=December 20, 2022 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> On October 22, 2015, Clinton testified at an all-day and nighttime session before the committee.<ref name="ShearSchmidt">{{cite news |first1=Michael D. |last1=Shear |first2=Michael S. |last2=Schmidt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/23/us/politics/hillary-clinton-benghazi-committee.html |title=Benghazi Panel Engages Clinton in Tense Session |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 22, 2015}}</ref><ref name="wapo-nosolid">{{cite news |first1=David A. |last1=Fahrenthold |first2=Elise |last2=Viebeck |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-benghazi-testimony-today-has-high-political-stakes-for-both-sides/2015/10/22/beff40d2-7838-11e5-bc80-9091021aeb69_story.html |title=GOP lands no solid punches while sparring with Clinton over Benghazi |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> Clinton was widely seen as emerging largely unscathed from the hearing, because of what the media perceived as a calm and unfazed demeanor and a lengthy, meandering, repetitive line of questioning from the committee.<ref>For accounts of Clinton's appearance before the select committee, see {{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-back-in-the-benghazi-hot-seat-withstands-republicans-grilling/2015/10/22/3ce69dbe-78e4-11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html |author=Gearan, Anne |author2=Tumulty, Karen |author3=Viebeck, Elise |title=Clinton, back in the Benghazi hot seat, withstands Republicans' grilling |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 22, 2015}}; {{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/257844-clinton-largely-unscathed-by-gop-benghazi-hearing/ |author=Hattern, Julian |author2=Parnes, Amie |title=Clinton largely unscathed by GOP Benghazi hearing |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=October 22, 2015}}; {{cite news |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/trey-gowdy-hillary-clinton-benghazi-215032 |author=Bade, Rachael | author-link = Rachael Bade |title=Clinton survives 11-hour Benghazi grilling |work=[[Politico]] |date=October 22, 2015}}; {{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/where-the-benghazi-committee-went-wrong |title=Where the Benghazi Committee Went Wrong |author=Cassidy, John |magazine=The New Yorker |date=October 22, 2015}}; {{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/10/22/hillary-clinton-benghazi-committee-trey-gowdy/74352358/ |title=No clear wins for GOP at Benghazi hearing |author=Troyan, Mary |work=[[USA Today]] |date=October 23, 2015}}; and {{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/22/politics/hillary-clinton-benghazi-hearing-updates/ |title=Marathon Benghazi hearing leaves Hillary Clinton largely unscathed |author=Collinson, Stephen |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=October 23, 2015}}</ref> The committee issued competing final reports in June 2016; the Republican report offered no evidence of culpability by Clinton.<ref name="nyt-bengcom">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/29/us/politics/hillary-clinton-benghazi.html |title=House Benghazi Report Finds No New Evidence of Wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton |author=Herszenhorn, David M. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 28, 2016}}</ref><ref name="usa-bengcom"/>