Jake Tapper: Stress Of Benghazi Attack Has Contributed To 'Exhaustion We've Seen [Clinton's] Been Suffering From'

Immediately following Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's testimony before members of the Senate regarding her knowledge of the security situation in Libya leading up to the Benghazi attacks, CNN's Chief Washington D.C. correspondent Jake Tapper was asked for his analysis of Clinton's testimony. When CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked Tapper what he felt moved Clinton to tears while describing her experience calling the families of the victims of the Benghazi attacks, Tapper attributed Clinton's breakdown to the exhaustion that many reports have suggested she has been suffering from.

RELATED: Hillary Clinton Chokes Up Speaking About Benghazi Victims During Testimony

'For me, this is not just a matter of policy, it's personal. I stood next to President [Barack] Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews,' Clinton said during her testimony as her voice cracked with emotion. 'I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, the sisters and brothers, the sons and daughters, and the wives left alone to raise their children.'

'A lot of diplomatic people ' we don't perceive them in this country as necessarily putting their lives at risk,' Tapper observed. 'We think, 'oh, they work for the State Department. Their lives are not as dangerous.' And it's not true, and people like Secretary Clinton have now learned that firsthand.'

'From sources close to her, this really did take a very strong emotional toll on her,' Tapper said. 'And, in addition to an exhausting job, I think probably it's all part and parcel of the exhaustion we've seen that she's been suffering from.'

Watch this clip below via CNN:

This post has been edited since it's original posting.

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