Hillary Clinton told the Benghazi Select Committee that she did not conduct most of her business as secretary of state over email.
Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., said Clinton sent and received 795 emails about Libya in 2011, but only 67 in 2012, the year the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi was attacked.
Stacking hard copies of the emails in question on the dais before her during a House Select Committee on Benghazi Thursday, Brooks questioned the former secretary on why she seemingly paid little attention to Libya the year of the attack.
“I can only conclude by your own records that there was a lack of interest in 2012,” Brooks said.
The Indiana Republican cited an email from Clinton’s top aides in which the travel plans of Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in the attack, were discussed. She asked whether Clinton was made aware of the risks involved in Stevens’ 2011 trip to Benghazi.
“I was personally told by the officials in the State Department who were immediately above Chris that it was going to be expeditionary diplomacy,” Clinton said. “It was going to require him to make a lot of judgements on the ground about what he could accomplish.”
Brooks then noted Clinton was not informed via email of an April 2012 attack on a U.S. compound that has long been seen as a harbinger of the Benghazi raid.
“There is not one email to you or from you in 2012 when an explosive device went off on our compound in April,” Brooks said. “This was a very important mission in 2011. You sent Chris Stevens there.”
Clinton responded by pointing out that much of her work was done outside of email.
“I did not conduct most of the business that I did on behalf of this country over email,” she said.
“I don’t want you to have a mistaken impression about what I did or how I did it.”
Clinton also noted that no intelligence recommendation was ever made to close down the Benghazi compound before the Sept. 11, 2012 raid despite the attempted attacks earlier that year.
