WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) — Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton appeared before a congressional committee Thursday in a long-awaited appearance to answer questions about the 2012 deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
Clinton is expected to answer hours of questioning from the Republican-led committee about the circumstances that left four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador, dead.
The meeting follows months of reports about Clinton’s use of a private home email server for her work at the State Department. Thousands of emails from the server have been released as part of the Benghazi committee’s demand.
In January 2013, Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she answered questions about security at Benghazi, among other things.
Thursday, Clinton is expected to answer more questions about security at the outpost and how the administration responded. The biggest difference between Thursday’s testimony and that in 2012 is her use of the private email server was not known earlier.
Already several of Clintons staffers and confidants have met with the Benghazi committee, including Huma Abedin, Clinton’s longtime aide, and Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime friend to both Bill and Hillary Clinton and informal adviser.
In the past weeks, Republican lawmakers have come forward to say the fact-finding mission is actually a political witch hunt, putting committee members on the defensive and giving Clinton and her fellow Democrats a much-needed boost.
A CNN/ORC poll released Thursday indicated 72 percent of Americans believe the House Select Committee on Benghazi investigation is politically motivated. A smaller majority of Americans — 54 percent — believe the way Clinton handled her email while with the State Department reflects her ability to serve as president.
The hearing scheduled began 10 a.m.
