Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s forthcoming book, “Hard Choices,” includes a defiant rebuke of the Republicans who have gone after her over the deadly 2012 attack at the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya, according to Politico.
A chapter, titled “Benghazi: Under Attack,” tells Clinton’s side of the story in detail and criticizes Republicans for politicizing the event.
“I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans. It’s just plain wrong, and it’s unworthy of our great country. Those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me,” Clinton writes, according to the report.
The chapter will give Democrats a guide to handling questions on Benghazi ahead of 2016, when many believe Clinton will make her second bid for the White House. The Clinton team has also brought on former National Security Council spokesman and a former Obama aide Tommy Vietor to coordinate and assist in the response to the book, Politico reported.
Clinton takes responsibility for the deaths of Americans at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, but she fends off the criticism from Republicans, saying they’re manipulating the tragedy for partisan gains.
“Many of these same people are a broken record about unanswered questions. But there is a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers,” she wrote.
Clinton also notes that the anti-Islamic video sparked some of the protests that turned deadly.
“There were scores of attackers that night, almost certainly with differing motives,” she writes. “It is inaccurate to state that every single one of them was influenced by this hateful video. It is equally inaccurate to state that none of them were. Both assertions defy not only the evidence but logic as well.”
Republicans have launched a special investigative committee to look into the deadly attacks. The investigation is expected to stretch on until at least the 2014 midterm elections. Some see the GOP's renewed focus on Benghazi as a politically motivated move to put Clinton back in the spotlight ahead of her expected 2016 bid.