The Obama administration was "trying to avoid a controversy that would hurt their re-election chances" after the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans – and it's now become "a big problem" for Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush tells
Newsmax TV.
In a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth, the former Florida governor and GOP hopeful calls the House Select Committee on Benghazi's probe "important to get a sense of, could those four Americans been saved?"
Asked if Vice President
Joe Biden's decision to nix a presidential campaign shows he's not worried the Benghazi probe will hurt Clinton politically, Bush tells Hayworth "there could be a lot more issues related to just his heart being in it."
"Benghazi is a big problem for Hillary Clinton," he said. "Not so much because of the fact that it happened, although there were requests for security. But it's how the government responded afterwards."
The House committee hearing will try to determine "was there a serious effort to help," Bush said. "And then afterwards, when they tried to create the 'fog of war' and call it a response to a stupid video, was that appropriate?" he added.
"This was in the midst of a campaign and I think the Obama administration was trying to avoid a controversy that would hurt their re-election chances. The four Americans that lost their lives are deserving of a fair hearing on this."
The full interview is scheduled to air on Newsmax TV beginning Monday at 8pm ET.
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Clinton, who served as President Barack Obama's first secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, faces a highly anticipated congressional grilling Thursday over her role during and after the attacks on the U.S. mission in Libya.
And her performance could determine if voters believe it's time to move on from the controversy that has
dogged her presidential campaign.
In a poll released exactly a week ago,
results showed most Americans think Clinton hasn't been honest about the State Department's role in the terror strike.
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