Clinton, Obama's cabinet picks set for Senate hearings

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. / Larry Downing-Pool/Getty Images

After postponing her first scheduled testimony due to illness, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now slated to testify about the September 11 attacks in Benghazi before congressional committees on January 23, according to the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees.

Clinton, who is stepping down as secretary of state at the end of President Obama's term, will answer questions about the circumstances and timeline surrounding the Benghazi attacks, which resulted in the deaths four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens.

She had previously been scheduled to testify before both of the committees in December, but sustained a series of illnesses that prevented her from doing so.

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Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who Mr. Obama has nominated to replace Clinton as Secretary of State, will begin the Senate confirmation process the next day, in a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry, who is the outgoing chair of that committee, is not expected to face any difficulties being approved by that group.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Mr. Obama's pick for his second term defense secretary, and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, who has been tapped to lead the CIA, will head to the Senate for confirmations on January 31 and February 7 respectively.