Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday described the September 2012 terror assault on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya as the biggest regret of her time at the State Department.
“My biggest, you know, regret is what happened in Benghazi,” Clinton said during an appearance before the National Automobile Dealers Association in New Orleans.
Her comment came in response to a question about “do-overs” as the head of the State Department.
“It was a terrible tragedy, losing four Americans, two diplomats, and now it's public, so I can say two CIA operatives. Losing an ambassador like Chris Stevens, who was one of our very best and had served in Libya and across the Middle East and spoke Arabic,” Clinton said
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pauses while speaking to the National Automobile Dealers Association meeting in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014. (AP)
“I mean, you know, you make these choices based on imperfect information,” she added. “And you make them to, as we say, the best of your ability. But that doesn't mean that there's not going to be unforeseen consequences, unpredictable twists and turns.”
It's not the first time that Clinton has remarked on the attacks. In a town hall meeting with diplomats in 2013, Clinton spoke out about the Benghazi attack, saying it would be featured in her upcoming memoirs, The Hill reported.
The former secretary of state’s most recent attempt to address the Benghazi assault that claimed the lives of Stevens, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods and Sean Smith, comes shortly after the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said in a report the attacks were absolutely “preventable.”
“Despite the clearly deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and requests for additional security resources, few significant improvements were made by the State Department to the security posture of the Temporary Mission Facility,” the report stated. “[T]he State Department knew they were vulnerable; and no one in the Administration really did anything about it.”
Clinton has yet to comment on the Senate report.
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