Hillary Clinton responds to email controversy via Twitter

Democrat Hillary Clinton on Wednesday broke her silence over a budding controversy involving her emails when she was secretary of state, saying she wanted the U.S. State Department to release them swiftly.

“I want the public to see my email,” the potential 2016 presidential candidate said in a tweet. “I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible.”

CONGRESSIONAL GROUP INVESTIGATING LIBYA ATTACK COULD SUBPOENA CLINTON’S EMAILS

WASHINGTON — A congressional committee investigating the 2012 attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya could soon subpoena Hillary Clinton’s personal emails from her time as secretary of state that have created a political storm for the Democrats’ presumptive presidential candidate.

Representative Trey Gowdy, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, told reporters on Wednesday he is starting a process he expects will lead to subpoenas for the emails.

The subpoenas would be issued “when all the boxes have been checked,” including making proper notifications on Capitol Hill.

He added that, within two weeks, he must either have the documents or a “really good explanation” why they may be delayed.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported the committee would issue subpoenas later in the day.

The New York Times reported late Monday that Clinton, who is expected to announce soon that she is entering the 2016 presidential race, exclusively used a personal email account to conduct official business during her four years as secretary. The lack of email preservation may have run afoul of the Federal Records Act, according to the Times.

Gowdy said he initially asked the State Department for emails relating to Benghazi.

“And it was only last week that we discovered they can’t produce all of her emails to us because they don’t have all of her emails,” he said.

Republicans have accused Clinton of not doing enough to ensure the safety of Americans in Benghazi, where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed during an assault on the U.S. consulate.

The top Democrat on the Benghazi committee, Elijah Cummings, said Republicans’ actions have led him to believe they simply want to attack Clinton. He noted that Colin Powell, the secretary of state under former President George W. Bush, a Republican, had used personal emails.

“I did not want to believe it. But everything I’ve seen so far … has led me to believe that this is meant to go after Hillary Clinton. And I think that’s very, very unfortunate,” he told reporters.