Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is set to testify before the panel in which he chairs, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, regarding his nomination as Secretary of State. Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to present Kerry at the hearing, a day after appearing in front of lawmakers to discuss the State Department’s actions in response to the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Clinton showed some emotion and flashes of anger Wednesday as she discussed the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and the three other Americans killed in the attack. Her testimony provided few new details on the incident, but it gave the Secretary an opportunity to confront her critics and defend the Obama administration’s response as she prepares to leave her post. Her appearances also gave her a chance to protect her State Department legacy and position herself for a possible presidential run in 2016. Senator Kerry is likely to be confirmed, but is expected to face some difficult questions as well, though likely not as tough as the hearing that awaits President Obama’s Defense Secretary nominee, Chuck Hagel. We will discuss the hearings with Foreign Relations Committee member, Senator Bob Casey and the panel, and look at whether the candidates will get a fair shake when we see you at noon ET on msnbc.
PANEL
Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post/msnbc Contributor (@capehartj)
Leigh Gallagher, Assisting Managing Editor, Fortune (@leighgallagher)
Franklin Foer, Editor, The New Republic (@franklinfoer)
Frank Bruni, Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times (@frankbruni)
GUESTS
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) (@senbobcasey)
Andrew Ross Sorkin, CNBC Co-host, “Squawk Box”/The New York Times (@andrewrsorkin) [Davos]
Robert Gifford