Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton testified Thursday before the Benghazi Select Committee that "I took responsibility" in the aftermath of the 2012 terrorist attack in Libya.
"I was the one who asked Chris [Stevens] to go to Libya as our envoy," Clinton said. "I was the one who recommended him to be our ambassador to the president. After the attacks, I stood next to President Obama as Marines carried his casket and those of the other three Americans off the plane at Andrews Air Force base. I took responsibility, and as part of that, before I left office, I launched reforms to better protect our people in the field and helped reduce the chance of another tragedy happening in the future."
Clinton did eventually say in October 2012 that "I take responsibility" for what happened on Sept. 11, although it was unclear what that exactly meant. Initially, Clinton and the Obama administration cast blame for the attack as a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Muslim video that had sparked outrage in the Islamic world.
Clinton's presidential campaign has dismissed the committee's investigation as a partisan witch hunt to drive down her poll numbers, citing remarks made by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.). It launched an ad targeting the committee led by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.) as politically motivated, and her supporters have repeatedly said there is nothing left to find in any Benghazi investigation.