Hillary Clinton Testifies At Benghazi Hearing

Clinton Testifies In Front Of House Select Committee On Benghazi. On October 22, Hillary Clinton testified in front of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. As The New York Times reported:

Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday began a daylong appearance before the Republican-controlled Benghazi committee in a hearing that is expected to be a highly partisan grilling of the leading Democratic candidate for president.

An aide to Mrs. Clinton's campaign said she was expected to say in her opening remarks that the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead, were a tragedy that the United States must learn from, but that America could not withdraw its diplomats from dangerous parts of the world.

The aide said that Mrs. Clinton would say that, like Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, who was among those killed, she believed that for diplomats to be successful, they must work at times in unstable regions where the United States may not have a military presence.

The testimony will occur after several days of public fighting between Democrats and Republicans over whether the House committee is using the deaths of the Americans to undermine Mrs. Clinton's presidential bid. [The New York Times, 10/22/15]

Conservative Media Attack Clinton And Her Testimony

Breitbart's Ben Shapiro: Clinton Is Trying To Play “The Victim.” Breitbart News editor-at-large Ben Shapiro attacked Clinton's testimony in a series of tweets, claiming the former secretary of state was trying to play “the victim,” comparing[ the Benghazi attacks to “lack of condoms,” and falsely claiming Clinton had characterized the death of Ambassador Stevens as an “acceptable loss”:

Remember that the evil press mocks Benghazi as a fake scandal, but think lack of condoms are a massive issue for American women.

-- Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 22, 2015

Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans died because Hillary invaded Libya and decided not to give him security. But she's the victim.

-- Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 22, 2015

Shorter Hillary: Chris Stevens was an acceptable loss.

-- Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15; 10/22/15; 10/22/15]

National Review Contributor Stephen Miller: “Chris Stevens Should Have Donated More To The Clinton Foundation.” National Review contributor Stephen Miller commented on Clinton's testimony by tweeting that “Chris Stevens should have donated more to the Clinton Foundation”:

Chris Stevens should have donated more to the Clinton Foundation.

-- Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15]

Michael Berry Evoked Fringe Conspiracy Theory To Attack Clinton. Radio host Michael Berry discussed the hearing by evoking a fringe conspiracy theory about the death of former deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster in order to question Clinton's relationship with Ambassador Christopher Stevens:

Hillary seems to have cared for Christopher Stevens almost as much as she adored Vince Foster. #BenghaziCommittee

-- Michael Berry (@MichaelBerrySho) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15]

Bloomberg's Eli Lake Mocked Clinton For Saying Most Of Her Work At The State Department Wasn't Conducted By Email. Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake responded to Clinton's assertion that the majority of her work at the State Department was not conducted over email by tweeting:

Hillary: I don't use a calculator. I still have the old abacus I used in law school. Computer? My office didn't even have a typewriter.

-- Eli Lake (@EliLake) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15]

Wayne Dupree:  Can We "Button Up Cummings Mouth With Stitch And Lace?" Conservative radio host Wayne Dupree responded to the hearing in a series of tweets that referred to Clinton as “Madam Felony” and asked if it was possible to “button up [Elijah] Cummings mouth with stitch and lace”:

We sent a man to the moon but we can button up Cummings mouth with stitch and lace? #Benghazi #BenghaziCommittee

-- Wayne Dupree™ (@WayneDupreeShow) October 22, 2015

With all due respect, I wouldn't be calling Hillary Clinton Madam Secretary Madam Felony is more like it #BenghaziCommittee #Benghazi

-- Wayne Dupree™ (@WayneDupreeShow) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15; 10/22/15]

David Limbaugh: Clinton Is Trying To “Feign A Gravity She Doesn't Feel About The Killings” At Benghazi. Conservative commentator David Limbaugh tweeted about Clinton's speaking voice: “Pretty good imitation of a monotone that she is employing to feign a gravity she doesn't feel about the killings” at Benghazi, and later tweeted  that the testimony was “offensive and coldly opportunistic”:

Pretty good imitation of a monotone that she is employing to feign a gravity she doesn't feel about the killings.

-- David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) October 22, 2015

This is getting offensive and coldly opportunistic -- playing up the risk that these diplomatics voluntarily undertook. Unbelievable.

-- David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15(fixed link); 10/22/15]

Michelle Malkin Mocked Clinton's “Cackle.” Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin mocked Clinton's laughter, calling it a “cackle”:

*Cackle* count. #hillarycacklecount #BenghaziCommittee https://t.co/7gF911CaMf

-- Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15]

Richard Grenell: Clinton Is “Contrived” And “Using This Serious Hearing To Campaign For President.” Fox News contributor Richard Grenell claimed that Clinton's testimony was “contrived” and criticized her for “using this serious hearing to campaign for president”:

. @HillaryClinton is using this serious hearing to campaign for president. She has no shame.

-- Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 22, 2015

. @HillaryClinton is so contrived.

-- Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 22, 2015

[Twitter.com, 10/22/15; 10/22/15]