Fact-checking Hillary Clinton’s new book

There is perhaps no more intriguing figure today in American politics than Hillary Clinton. The former first lady, U.S. senator and Secretary of State is the subject of constant rumors and speculation regarding the 2016 presidential race, even though Election Day is still two and a half years away. And the release of her latest book will only fuel the flames.

Hard Choices, Clinton’s second memoir, is poised to hit bookshelves June 10. The book will chronicle her four years leading President Barack Obama’s State Department as the new Democratic White House juggled two inherited wars — and turmoil throughout the world — with the lofty goal of elevating America’s standing.

Of course, a key point of contention in the book will be Clinton’s recount of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on a United States complex in Benghazi, Libya. Already, leaked passages from the Benghazi section of her book helped reignite a smoldering political debate on Clinton’s role in the crisis, with Republicans continuing to insist there’s more to the story that will prove damaging to Clinton.

Many will look to the book for clues as to whether Clinton will run again for president; others simply want to hear her recollections from inside Obama’s Cabinet.

At PolitiFact, per usual, we’re interested in the facts.

As we’ve done with other political books (such as Sarah Palin’s post-election memoir), we plan to read Clinton’s autobiography with an eye on whether her version of history jibes with how events actually played out, as well as any other assertions she makes.

We invite our readers to do the same: Please send us tips on passages from the book you would like to see us fact-check. Please provide as much text as you can, along with a page number or at least a chapter number so we can easily find it. You can email this information to truthometer@politifact.com. We’ll post any fact-checks we find as we write them up.

Clinton herself has not found her way on the Truth-O-Meter often in the years following her failed 2008 campaign. But Republicans have often criticized her time as Secretary of State, and we’ve frequently fact-checked statements about her since she left office.

In that spirit, on the eve of her book release, we rounded up 10 recent (or recent-ish) fact-checks we’ve done on statements made by or about Hillary Clinton. We expect plenty more once the book makes its way into readers (and Republican) hands. Keep watching this space over the next few days.