Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton called her marathon congressional testimony before the Benghazi House Select Committee “a pretty long day” in a speech at the DNC Women’s Leadership Forum Friday morning.
Her voice still a bit hoarse after the 11-hour grilling, an upbeat Clinton said she was glad she “finally got to answer questions” on Thursday, “something I’ve been pushing for literally a year.”
Clinton explained that her goal yesterday was to “rise above partisanship and reach for statesmenship.”
Campaign aides said they were pleased with her performance at the hearing, but maintained last week's debate was a “bigger moment” for her to showcase her strengths to the American public. Aides say the campaign had its best hour of fundraising of the campaign so far last night between 9 and 10 p.m., just as her testimony was wrapping up.
Related: Five Takeaways From Clinton's Benghazi Testimony
Though they were impressed with Clinton’s cool, calm demeanor throughout, aides expressed frustration at the committee’s fixation on long-time Clinton ally Sidney Blumenthal.
Today, the former secretary of state focused her remarks on women’s rights, but also talked about some of the other big political news this week.
“I am confident that history isn’t finished with Joe Biden,” she said, praising the vice president’s service days after he said he would not run for president.
Clinton also took a thinly veiled shot at her main competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders, over his comment at the debate about how “all the shouting in the world” wouldn’t solve gun control.
“I am not shouting. It’s just that when women talk, some people think we’re shouting,” Clinton said to big cheers from the room full of women.
