Clinton: ‘I still believe’ video helped spark Benghazi

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said late Thursday that an anti-Islam video helped fuel the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi.

“I still believe to this day that the video played a role,” she told the House Select Committee on Benghazi during her testimony that evening.

{mosads}“I have been consistent about speaking out about the video from the very first day,” Clinton said.  “I think it is important to look at the totality of what is going on.”

Of critics dismissing that explanation for the incident, she said, “I think that’s unfortunate. [But] we know we can’t prevent everything – that’s the way the world is.”

The Obama administration initially blamed the genesis of the Sept. 11, 2012, incident in Libya on “The Innocence of Muslims,” a short film on YouTube.

The clip sparked outrage in the Islamic world given it painted their prophet Muhammad as a violent child molester.

Clinton repeatedly argued on Thursday that the negative reaction the film generated worldwide made it a logical explanation for the violence in Benghazi.

“It was a very tense week,” she said of the video’s discovery before and after the Benghazi attack.  “It is one that demonstrated how volatile the world is.

“It is the case that the world today is a dangerous place,” she added. “Violence does go up and down.”

Republican Benghazi panel members frequently charged during Thursday’s marathon hearing that “The Innocence of Muslims” was a red herring.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in particular found Clinton’s remarks on the video misleading.

“Privately your story was much different than your public one,” he told the former secretary of State.  “The video may have impacted other places but in Benghazi it didn’t.”

“We couldn’t have Libya – your baby as [Rep. Peter] Roskam [R-Ill.] pointed out – fail,” Jordan said.

“Make sure you focus on the video and not a policy failure, we have an election coming up in 50 days,” he added, referencing President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Clinton countered that U.S. military and intelligence operatives were hindered by the instability then present in Libya’s government.

“Everybody in the military scrambled to see what they could do,” she told lawmakers.

“Logistics and distance made it unlikely they could be anywhere near Benghazi in a reasonable amount of time,” Clinton added.

Four Americans – including Chris Stevens, then the ambassador to Libya – died when Islamic militants stormed the consulate.

The attack has since dogged Clinton as she tries securing the Democratic presidential coronation heading into 2016.