Hillary Clinton turns McCarthy's Benghazi gaffe into campaign gold

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) set himself up and Hillary Clinton just couldn't resist. McCarthy's now-infamous Benghazi gaffe in a Fox News interview last week — in which he implied that the House's special Benghazi committee was created to sabotage Clinton — now appears in a Hillary Clinton campaign ad.
In what marks Clinton's first national ad of the cycle, she posits that Republicans "finally admit it." The 30-second spot opens with McCarthy's remark: "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee. What are her numbers today?"
Clinton then turns the tables. "The Republicans have spent millions attacking Hillary because she's fighting for everything they oppose," the ad's narrator says. "From affordable health care to equal pay, she'll never stop fighting for you, and Republicans know it."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Watch the ad, which will begin airing Tuesday, below. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Magazine solutions - June 27, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Magazine printables - June 27, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Army commissions tech execs as officer recruits
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Some of the tech industry's most powerful players are answering the call of Uncle Sam
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia