Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia says Hillary Clinton will play the gender card to defend herself from those critical of her record in the Obama administration, particularly the events that surround the Sept. 11, 2012 terror attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
"I think she's hoping that she won't have to defend them. That she'll just say they're trying to pick on me because I'm a woman or because they're conservatives and they hate me and my husband," Griffith told Virginia radio host John Fredericks on Monday.
Griffith said he thinks the former secretary of state will argue the attack doesn't matter at this point.
"I don't think she's gonna plan on defending. I think that was her strategy when she said in regard to Benghazi, 'what difference does it make anyway.' And I think she's hoping the American people do not think that it makes any difference that she was a part of this administration and that she was a major player in one of the great disasters of the last 20 or 30 years when we lost an ambassador when we were under attack."
"When our troops were apparently told something along the lines of 'don't help.' It may not have been a full stand down but it was definitely a 'don't go help these folks.' All of that happened under her watch and she thinks it doesn't make any difference."
A two year investigation by the Republican-controlled Intelligence Committee found no "stand down" order was given, as has been repeatedly alleged in the incident. However, several American contractors hired to defend the CIA base in Benghazi said in their book they were told not to respond to respond to attack on the consulate by the CIA officer in charge of the base.
"It makes a difference in the world. It told the world that we were not willing to defend ourselves and we wouldn't in fact allow them to go forward to other parts of the world and do things that were against American interests," added Griffith. "It makes a big difference and she's hoping that nobody will care and unfortunately she might be right. It's up those of us listening and those of us in Congress to try make she that we hold her accountable."