White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Thursday that Hillary Clinton's testimony before the House Benghazi panel reminded him of why President Barack Obama selected her to be secretary of state.

"I know we are only in about hour two or three, and if we take Republicans at their word, it's going to go on much longer. I was only able to catch a few exchanges," Schultz told reporters. "What struck me was that I was reminded of why President Obama chose Hillary Clinton to be his secretary of state in the first place."

AP

"This is someone who clearly cares deeply about the issues," he continued. "Someone who has worked tirelessly to strenthen our relationships around the world. Someone who cares deeply about our men and women overseas, stationed across the globe. And someone when something goes wrong takes responsibility and owns up to that mistake and is happy to answer questions on however many occasions because she is being held accountable."

Schultz said that Obama did not watch Clinton's testimony, at least during the morning hours.