(CNN) — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that the Benghazi committee’s mission “is to find the truth,” just hours after Hillary Clinton launched an ad knocking the California Republican for his suggestion that the panel succeeded in hurting her politically.

“The mission of the Select Committee on Benghazi is to find the truth — period. The integrity of Chairman (Trey) Gowdy, the committee and the work they’ve accomplished is beyond reproach. The serious questions Secretary Clinton faces are due entirely to her own decision to put classified information at risk and endanger our national security,” McCarthy said in a statement.

McCarthy is in the running to be the next speaker, but many Republicans chastised him last week after he told Fox News that the Benghazi panel had successfully raised questions of Clinton’s trustworthiness and lowered her poll numbers.

Tuesday’s comments are just one of several times McCarthy has sought to walk back his original remarks and defend the committee.

Clinton exploited those comments in a web ad released Monday.

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