Major Controversies Surrounding Hillary Clinton: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is a prominent American politician, lawyer, and diplomat. She served as the 67th United States Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, a U.S. Senator representing New York, and First Lady during Bill Clinton's presidency. As a member of the Democratic Party, she made history as the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. party in 2016, also winning the popular vote, though ultimately losing the election to Donald Trump. Notably, she is the only former First Lady to have pursued and achieved elected office.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1978: Cattle futures trading controversy begins

In 1978, the Hillary Clinton cattle futures controversy arose, relating to cattle futures trading Clinton had made. Some in the press alleged that Clinton had engaged in a conflict of interest and disguised a bribery.

1979: Cattle futures trading controversy continues

In 1979, the Hillary Clinton cattle futures controversy continued, relating to cattle futures trading Clinton had made. Some in the press alleged that Clinton had engaged in a conflict of interest and disguised a bribery. No formal investigation was made and she was never charged with any wrongdoing in relation to this.

1986: Conflict of interest accusations

In 1986, Bill Clinton's Republican opponent in his gubernatorial reelection campaign accused the Clintons of conflict of interest because Rose Law did state business; the Clintons countered the charge by saying that state fees were walled off by the firm before her profits were calculated.

August 1992: Attacks from conservatives

Beginning with Daniel Wattenberg's August 1992 The American Spectator article "The Lady Macbeth of Little Rock", Hillary Clinton's own past ideological and ethical record came under attack from conservatives.

1992: National Attention and Campaign Controversy

In 1992, Hillary Clinton received sustained national attention for the first time when her husband became a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. She made culturally disparaging remarks about Tammy Wynette's song "Stand by Your Man".

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September 1994: Clinton health care plan abandoned

In September 1994, The Clinton health care plan failed to gather enough support and was abandoned. Hillary Clinton's approval ratings fell to 35 percent by September 1994.

1994: Republican Success in Midterm Elections

In 1994, the Republican Party negatively highlighted the Clinton health care plan in their campaign for the 1994 midterm elections, resulting in strong success for the Republican Party. After this, the White House subsequently sought to downplay Hillary Clinton's role in shaping policy.

January 26, 1996: Testimony before federal grand jury

On January 26, 1996, Hillary Clinton became the first spouse of a U.S. president to be subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury as part of the Whitewater controversy investigation.

June 1996: Discovery of improper White House access to FBI background reports

In June 1996, the "Travelgate" investigation led to the discovery of improper White House access to hundreds of FBI background reports on former Republican White House employees, an affair that some called "Filegate". Accusations were made that Clinton had requested these files.

1996: Supported Welfare Reform Act

In 1996, Hillary Clinton decided to support the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, which became law as a political compromise, after initially urging her husband to veto earlier versions.

1998: Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal

In 1998, Hillary Clinton's marital relationship came under public scrutiny during the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, which led her to publicly reaffirm her commitment to the marriage.

1998: Lewinsky scandal and impeachment

In 1998, investigations revealed that President Bill Clinton had engaged in an extramarital affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, leading to his impeachment by the House of Representatives. Hillary Clinton initially characterized the allegations as part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" before acknowledging her husband's actions.

2000: Filegate Independent Counsel report

In 2000, the final Independent Counsel report on "Filegate" found no substantial or credible evidence that Hillary Clinton had any role or showed any misconduct in the matter.

2000: Whitewater controversy final report

In 2000, the final report on the Whitewater controversy was issued, stating that there was insufficient evidence that either Bill or Hillary Clinton had engaged in criminal wrongdoing.

2001: Controversy over White House gifts

In early 2001, a controversy arose regarding gifts that were sent to the White House. The question was raised whether the furnishings were White House property or the Clintons' personal property. During Bill Clinton's last year in office, those gifts were shipped to the Clintons' private residence.

October 2002: Vote in Favor of Military Force Against Iraq

In October 2002, Hillary Clinton voted in favor of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, and later said she regretted the vote.

October 2002: Vote in favor of Iraq War Resolution

In October 2002, Hillary Clinton voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution, which authorized President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq.

2011: Military intervention in Libya

In 2011, Hillary Clinton favored military intervention in Libya, aligning with Susan Rice and Samantha Power. She overcame internal administration opposition to gain backing and U.N. approval for the intervention. Clinton testified that congressional authorization wasn't needed, despite objections that the War Powers Resolution was being violated. She later promoted unity among Libyan rebels.

September 11, 2012: Attack on U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi

On September 11, 2012, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, resulting in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

2012: Benghazi Attack

In 2012, Hillary Clinton was harshly criticized by Republicans for the failure to prevent or adequately respond to the Benghazi attack.

January 23, 2013: Testimony to congressional committees regarding Benghazi attack

On January 23, 2013, Hillary Clinton gave testimony to two congressional foreign affairs committees regarding the Benghazi attack. She defended her actions and said she had no direct role in specific discussions about consulate security. She responded to persistent questioning by saying, "With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided that they'd they go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator."

May 2014: Creation of the House Select Committee on Benghazi

In May 2014, the Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi was created to conduct a two-year investigation related to the 2012 Benghazi attack.

November 2014: House Intelligence Committee report on Benghazi

In November 2014, the House Intelligence Committee issued a report that concluded there had been no wrongdoing in the administration's response to the Benghazi attack.

2014: Reversal on Iraq War Resolution

By 2014, Hillary Clinton had fully reversed herself on the Iraq War Resolution, saying she "got it wrong".

July 15, 2015: Inspectors general statement on classified information

In a joint statement released on July 15, 2015, the inspector general of the State Department and the inspector general of the intelligence community said their review of Hillary Clinton's emails found classified information that should never have been transmitted via an unclassified personal system.

October 22, 2015: Testimony before the House Select Committee on Benghazi

On October 22, 2015, Hillary Clinton testified at an all-day and nighttime session before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

2015: Called Iraq War Resolution vote a mistake

By 2015, Hillary Clinton had fully reversed herself on the Iraq War Resolution, saying that vote in support had been a "mistake".

February 4, 2016: Clinton on classified material

In a Democratic debate with Bernie Sanders on February 4, 2016, Hillary Clinton said, "I never sent or received any classified material—they are retroactively classifying it."

February 2016: Retroactive classification of emails

In February 2016, The New York Times reported that nearly 2,100 emails stored on Hillary Clinton's server were retroactively marked classified by the State Department.

May 2016: State Department inspector general criticizes Clinton's email use

In May 2016, the inspector general of the State Department criticized Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, stating that she had not requested permission and would not have received it if she had asked.

June 2016: Release of competing final reports by the House Select Committee on Benghazi

In June 2016, the House Select Committee on Benghazi issued competing final reports; the Republican report offered no evidence of culpability by Clinton.

July 2, 2016: Clinton states again that she never sent or received classified material

On July 2, 2016, Hillary Clinton stated: "Let me repeat what I have repeated for many months now, I never received nor sent any material that was marked classified."

July 5, 2016: FBI concludes investigation into Clinton's email server

On July 5, 2016, the FBI concluded its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State.

July 6, 2016: Justice Department closes email probe without charges

On July 6, 2016, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed that the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of private email servers would be closed without criminal charges.

October 28, 2016: FBI Reopens Clinton Email Investigation

On October 28, 2016, FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that the FBI was reviewing newly discovered emails related to Hillary Clinton, two weeks before the presidential election.

2016: Loss of credibility with organized labor

According to journalist Dan Kaufman, awareness of Hillary Clinton's position on the Wal-Mart board later became a factor in her loss of credibility with organized labor, helping contribute to her loss in the 2016 election.

2016: Presidential Run and Email Controversy

In 2016, Hillary Clinton had her second presidential run, which was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding her use of a private email server as Secretary of State.

2016: Campaign finance law violation

In 2016, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign allegedly violated campaign finance law by misreporting spending on research that eventually became the Steele dossier, which led to a Federal Election Commission investigation and a settlement in 2022.

2016: Email server controversy

Throughout her time as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton conducted official business through her private email server, leading to controversy during her 2016 presidential election campaign.

September 2019: State Department Completes Review of Clinton's Email Use

In September 2019, the State Department concluded its internal review of Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server, finding increased risk of compromised information but no evidence of deliberate mishandling of classified information.

2022: Settlement in Federal Election Commission Investigation

In 2022, Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee agreed to pay $113,000 to settle a Federal Election Commission investigation. The investigation looked into whether they violated campaign finance law by misreporting spending on research that eventually became the Steele dossier.