It was a political spectacle of epic proportions: a presidential candidate grilled by a congressional panel live on national TV for more than 8 hours.
Democratic 2016 presidential frontrunner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sparred with Republican members of the Select Committee on Benghazi about the events surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012 attack, but also received some support from Democratic members who said the committee was politically motivated.
ANALYSIS: Benghazi Committee Gives Hillary Clinton Presidential Platform Reps. Trey Gowdy and Elijah Cummings Get Into Heated Exchange During Benghazi Hearing Hillary Clinton's Long-Awaited Benghazi Hearing Marked by Testy ExchangesHere's a breakdown of her appearance by the numbers:
Clinton’s appearance before the House Select Committee on Benghazi today was her 3rd public testimony on the 2012 attacks.
It came on the 130th day of her 2016 presidential campaign and 101 days before the Iowa Caucuses.
The session began at 10:01 am ET. It ended at 9:00 pm ET on the dime.
All told, Clinton spent 500 minutes, or more than 8 hours, testifying in the chair. Her entire session on the Hill, including breaks, ran 11 hours.
The word ‘email’ mentioned nearly 300 times.
The late Ambassador Chris Stevens was mentioned 130 times. Clinton confidante Sidney Blumenthal mentioned more than 78 times during the hearing.
The House Select Committee on Benghazi is the 8th congressional investigation into the attacks.
This committee has spent over 17 months or 532 days investigating (the committee started in May 2014) -– longer than the Watergate committee investigation.
The committee has interviewed 54 witnesses. Republicans intend to interview at least 20 more witnesses.
The House Select Committee on Benghazi has cost taxpayers $4.8 million dollars so far.
At least 10 different agencies, Senate and House committees have opened inquiries into the Benghazi attack, including the State Dept, FBI, and selected Senate and House committees on intelligence.