- The Washington Times - Friday, May 30, 2014

Hillary Clinton is hitting back at Republicans who continue to dig into the U.S. response to a 2012 attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya — an incident that killed four Americans and still roils the political debate on Capitol Hill.

Politico obtained a chapter from Mrs. Clinton’s new book, “Hard Choices,” in which the former secretary of state pointedly rebuts her GOP critics.

“Those who exploit this tragedy over and over as a political tool minimize the sacrifice of those who served our country,” Mrs. Clinton writes in the chapter titled “Benghazi: Under Attack,” Politico reports.

The news outlet describes the 34-page chapter as more defiant than defensive in tone. Mrs. Clinton takes responsibility for the loss of life but accuses political foes of manipulating the tragedy for gain.

“I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans,” she writes, according to Politco. “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.”

Mrs. Clinton, a former first lady, is considered to be the frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president.

However, the events in Benghazi continue to haunt her record as Mr. Obama’s first secretary of state. House Republicans have set up a select committee to investigate the attack and U.S. response. Democrats wavered on whether to even participate before selecting members to sit on the panel.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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