Hillary Clinton expressed opposition to Republican Representative Jim Jordan's bid for House speaker this week after the House of Representatives voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from this position.
During an interview with CNN on Thursday, Clinton was asked about Jordan running for House speaker and her experiences with the Ohio representative in the past.
"I don't know him well, I watched him and stared at him for 11 hours while he made stuff up about me. So, I don't know him, but I've seen him in action," Clinton said, alluding to the 2015 Benghazi hearings.
During the hearings, Jordan questioned Clinton about the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi which occurred while she was serving as Secretary of State in former President Barack Obama's administration.
"[Jordan] is one of the principal ringleaders of the circus that's been created in the Republican Party for the last several years...when you look at the extremists in the House they certainly don't represent a majority of the country and somebody has to stand up and say 'enough,'" Clinton said.
Newsweek reached out to Jordan's office via email for comment.
Earlier this week, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz motioned to have House Speaker McCarthy removed from his seat, which resulted in a successful vote with seven other Republican representatives siding with Gaetz and House Democrats.
"The one thing that the White House, House Democrats, and many of us on the conservative side of the Republican caucus would argue is that the thing we have in common is Kevin McCarthy said something to all of us at one point or another that he didn't really mean and never intended to live up to," Gaetz said in a speech on the House floor following his motion to vacate.
Shortly after McCarthy was ousted, there were rumblings of other potential choices, with some Republicans looking at former President Donald Trump and others, including Gaetz, calling for Jordan to run.
Jordan later announced his decision to run for House speaker in a letter to his colleagues writing, "We are at a critical crossroad in our nation's history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans. The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference. I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representatives."
Despite the opposition from Clinton, Trump announced his endorsement of Jordan as House speaker on Friday morning.
"He is STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding - He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!" Trump wrote in a post on TruthSocial.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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