After 54 hours of public hearings (now 65), 171 witness testimonies (now 172), 784 pages of published reports, 2,780 questions asked in public hearings (now 3,096), and $8,000 spent per day…the truth is the Benghazi Committee has provided no new information, actionable recommendation or evidence of transgression.

The original “goal” of the committee was to find out where (if anywhere) there was an intelligence breakdown that led to the deaths of four Americans — and to provide recommendations for how to prevent this in the future.

However, as I have said for two years — and as Kevin McCarthy finally admitted on September 29 — this “committee” was never anything more than a partisan, political hit-job on Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.

This was made abundantly clear in the committee’s treatment of the former Secretary of State in Thursday’s all-day hearing.

Chairman Gowdy mentioned Hillary’s friend and adviser, Sid Blumenthal, more times than he said “Benghazi.”

Together, the committee members interrupted her 144 times.

And they kept her there for 500 minutes.

What was the result of all the Republicans’ preparations beforehand — and grandstanding during — the hearing?

The American people have learned absolutely nothing new about the tragedy at Benghazi.

What the American people did learn is that House Republicans will go to any length, including playing politics with the lives of four dead Americans, to try to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House.

Ironically, they have done more to achieve the opposite.

Hillary Clinton was stoic under the badgering of Gowdy and his cronies. She was a strong leader, well-versed in the global challenges America faces. And she held her composure in the midst of a chaotic kangaroo court.

In short, what the Benghazi Committee has achieved is yet another opportunity to show the American people that Hillary is prepared to be our president — to make the hard choices a leader must make, to respond to crises with poise and confidence, and to keep Americans safe at home and abroad.