Paul: Clinton did a ‘terrible job’ at State

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took a shot at likely Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, saying she did “a terrible job” as secretary of State and calling her handling of the Benghazi attacks “inexcusable.”

{mosads}”I put a lot of blame at the feet of Hillary Clinton for not defending the consulate in Benghazi,” Paul said after comments at the conservative Heritage Foundation, referring to the 2012 attacks that left four Americans dead, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

“I think she did a terrible job,” Paul added, saying it was “inexcusable” to not provide help when assistance was requested.

“Hillary Clinton took responsibility, took action, and was fully transparent in her efforts to prevent a tragedy such as Benghazi from ever happening again,” Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the pro-Clinton super-PAC Correct the Record, wrote in an email to The Hill. 

The group shot back at Paul, accusing the lawmaker of holding “extremist views” on foreign policy that “would be a big and dangerous gamble.”

Paul, also a likely 2016 presidential candidate, has dinged Clinton on Benghazi in the past and highlighted her support of unsuccessful midterm candidates.

His latest shot follows developments among high-profile potential Republican presidential candidates.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he is seriously considering a third White House bid, telling one Republican in a Washington Post story published Monday night that he “almost certainly will” jump into the 2016 race.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is also ramping up for a presidential run, and other Republicans weighing bids include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, outgoing Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Paul’s comments on Clinton came immediately after responding to a question on radical Islamic terrorism, saying, “We have to defend ourselves.”

“Printing cartoons shouldn’t engender people murdering you,” he added, referring to last week’s deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper in Paris known for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

The two-day Heritage Foundation event will include speeches by conservative lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (S.C.).

Paul is set to visit the early voting state of New Hampshire on Wednesday, where he will meet political leaders, business heads and activists.

This post was updated at 7:45 p.m.