Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently didn’t leave too big of a mark on the State Department, as the agency’s spokesperson struggled to name a single achievement from the 2016 hopeful’s tenure.
During a press briefing Tuesday, Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee asked State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki to name an accomplishment from Clinton’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, an initiative enacted during the secretary’s time at the helm.
Unfortunately for Psaki, who became State Department press secretary after the 2016 hopeful’s departure and apparently failed to do her homework, Lee caught her on her heels.
“I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort could point out one,” the spokeswoman replied. “I’m sure there were a range of things that were put into place that I’m not even aware of were a result.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” Lee replied.
D’oh!
Psaki’s misstep proved to be an easy target for CNN’s John King and his guests, POLITICO’S Juanna Summers and The Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson, who heartily laughed at her response.
“It shouldn’t have been a surprising question,” Summers said. “Giving an answer like that, that’s one for the reels of Republicans.”
And boy did the GOP pounce.
“It speaks volumes that the State Department is having trouble naming the accomplishments from Secretary Clinton’s tenure,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Jahan Wilcox said in a statement. “Americans are quite familiar with Hillary Clinton’s role regarding Benghazi and the failed Russia reset initiative, but they’re still scratching their heads on what exactly she accomplished as the secretary of state.”
And Hillary, herself, seems to be doing a little head-scratching, too.
At the Women of the World 2014 Summit earlier this month, Clinton was asked to name her proudest accomplishment from her time at the State Department.
“I really see my role as secretary and, in fact, leadership in general in a democracy, as a relay race. I mean, you run the best race you can run, you hand off the baton. Some of what hasn’t been finished may go on to be finished,” she rambled.
After providing a non-answer, Clinton went on to talk about the “division of labor” encouraged by the Obama administration in stimulating the economy and the traveling she did while serving as secretary of state.
