Carly Fiorina: Hillary Clinton Benghazi Testimony Left Fundamental Question Unanswered
Clinton did "reasonably well" in Benghazi testimony, Fiorina said.
— -- Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina said Hillary Clinton did “reasonably well” in her testimony to the House Select Committee on Benghazi but that the fundamental question remains unanswered.
“She never answered a fundamental question,” Fiorina told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos today in an interview on “Good Morning America.” “And the fundamental question is this: ‘Knowing that this was purposeful terrorist attack, why did you go the next morning and address the American people and talk about a videotape?’ ... And why did you continue to do that over the bodies of the fallen and for several weeks after?’”
The Democratic presidential frontrunner and former secretary of state faced a day-long grilling Thursday before the committee investigating the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission and nearby CIA compound in Benghazi, Libya, on the night of Sept. 11, 2012.
Fiorina also said the testimony demonstrates that Clinton “won’t be held accountable until we have a nominee in a general election debate” who will do so.
While Fiorina conceded that some Republicans and Democrats alike have politicized Clinton’s appearance before the congressional committee, Fiorina complimented the work of the committee’s chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, in steering the committee and suggested that Democrats would have done the same if the Benghazi attacks had occurred under a Republican administration.
“I think Trey Gowdy has done a superb job,” Fiorina said. “If the shoe were on the other foot, and she had been a Republican secretary of state, I’m quite sure the Democrats would be holding hearings.”
Fiorina, who ranked at sixth place among the Republican contenders for the White House in the most recent ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday, fought back against recent storylines that her poll numbers suggest her candidacy has lost momentum after experiencing short-lived bumps in her numbers following the first two debates.
“I’ve never lost it, I’m in the middle of the pack,” Fiorina said of her momentum. “I’m feeling very good about our ground game, very good about the momentum in key states, and of course we have another debate coming up.”
Fiorina garnered the support of 5 percent of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning voters. Donald Trump led the poll with 32 percent support, while Dr. Ben Carson came in at second place with 22 percent.
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