Jeb Bush honored Hillary Clinton one year after Benghazi attack, conservative group says

A conservative group rolled out a new online video Thursday that claims Jeb Bush is unelectable because he honored former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with an award for public service a year after the Benghazi attacks.

The ForAmerica video features C-Span video footage from the 2013 in which Mr. Bush, in his capacity as chairman of the board of trustees of the National Constitution Center, delivered remarks at a ceremony where she received the group’s Liberty Medal.

“I want to say thank you to both Secretary Clinton and to President Clinton,” Mr. Bush says in the short clip. “Thank for your service to our country. We’re united by love of country and public service.”

Brent Bozell, chairman of ForAmerica, said the footage will undermine the former Florida governor’s attempts to criticize Mrs. Clinton if they face off in the 2016 presidential race.

“Anytime Jeb calls Hillary ’Obama 2.0,’ any criticism he makes of her awful record as Secretary of State, any time he shows how much of an extremist she is on the issues, will be completely dismissed when she reminds everyone that he gave her an award for public service,” Mr. Bozell said in a press release. “As it stands, Jeb has absolutely no credibility to criticize her because he has already anointed her as a great public servant; and he inexplicably did so almost a year to the day of the Benghazi massacre.”

“He will lose, and the public will have to suffer at least another four years of Obama’s policies — and anything worse she has in store for America,” Mr. Bozell said.

Conservatives have blasted Mrs. Clinton with criticism for the way she responded to the September 2012 attacks in Libya that led to the death of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Many grassroots activists also are not enthralled with the idea of nominating another Bush.

Mr. Bush honored Mrs. Clinton roughly a year later. In extended footage of the event, Mr. Bush said the Constitution “must be the foundation of civic education” and joked about potentially vying for votes against Mrs. Clinton in the early primary states.

“Hillary and I come from different political parties, and we disagree about a few things,” Mr. Bush said. “But we do agree on the wisdom of the American people — especially those in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina. In fact, I think Secretary Clinton might be in Des Moines next week. Now, don’t actually wear the medal there Madam Secretary.”