Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) doesn’t appear to be rooting for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to become the next House Speaker.
“He is one of the principal ringleaders of the circus that’s been created in the Republican Party for the last several years,” Clinton said when asked by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about Jordan possibly getting the Speakership.
Clinton and Jordan have an antagonistic history with each other, with Jordan once accusing Clinton of blaming the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi on a protest sparked by an anti-Islamic film on YouTube, which painted Islamic prophet Muhammad as a violent child molester.
“There’s no evidence for a spontaneous protest,” Jordan told Clinton during a 2015 House Select Committee on Benghazi hearing. “You picked the video as the narrative. Where did it originate? It originated with you.”
Clinton reflected on that history briefly in her interview with Amanpour.
“I watched him and, you know, stared at him for 11 hours while he made stuff up about me, so I don’t know him, but I’ve seen him in action,” Clinton said.
The office of the Speaker of the House has been vacant since the Tuesday vote that removed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the seat, though Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is currently serving as Speaker pro tempore.
Jordan entered the race for Speaker alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Wednesday. Jordan has received endorsements from colleagues including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.).
“We are at a critical crossroad in our nation’s history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans. The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference,” Jordan wrote in a “dear colleague” letter.
“I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representative,” the Ohio Republican continued.