Sen. Rand Paul declared in a speech Tuesday at The Citadel that Hillary Clinton
should be disqualified from running for president in 2016 over her "failure" in Benghazi.
The Kentucky Republican told cadets at the South Carolina military school that the former Secretary of State did not provide enough security to protect the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city before last year's terror attack.
"Her failure to provide our ambassador and his mission with adequate security should preclude Hillary Clinton from ever holding high office again,"
said Paul, who may run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
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He also appeared to blame Clinton for not sending in reinforcements during the attack on Sept. 11, 2012, in which four American were killed, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
"There were still people alive and fighting for hours upon hours, and there were some people in Tripoli who could have gone," said Paul,
drawing a round of applause.
"I don’t think that decision was made by a military person. I think it was made ultimately by a politician.
"We should never have a commander-in-chief who is unwilling to send in troops for reinforcement, or in the six-month period of time, did not send adequate security when it was asked for repeatedly."
Republicans in Washington have urged President Barack Obama's administration to give a more detailed account of what exactly went wrong in Benghazi.
Paul admitted after the speech that he knew his remarks would be warmly received by the Corps of Cadets because "they're pretty conservative here at The Citadel."
The senator also insisted that the United States should not align itself with the rebels in Syria, who have been linked to al-Qaida.
"We have no legitimate national interest in Syria," said Paul, adding that no country should receive aid where the American flag is burned during protests.
Rand was on a two-day swing through South Carolina, which is an early primary state where he may campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
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