Clinton Fundraising Spikes After Benghazi Hearing

Critics of Hillary Clinton aren't going to be happy to hear this: The Hill reports Clinton's campaign had its best hour of online fundraising immediately following the end of Thursday's 11-hour Benghazi hearing. "People were apparently paying attention and were moved by it," campaign staffer Jennifer Palmieri says. According to USA Today, Clinton was praised for her composure during the marathon testimony. The Hill reports Palmieri, who wouldn't give an exact amount raised, says it all happened without the campaign specifically asking for money. "We had, like, a hashtag," she says. "But we didn't ask for money."

But it wasn't just that one hour. Politico reports donations have been pouring into the Clinton campaign since her testimony ended. The campaign says more than half the donations it received Thursday were from new donors, and almost all of them were for less than $250. During an event Friday, Clinton announced her campaign now has more than 500,000 contributors. That means the campaign added more than 100,000 new donors in October alone. As USA Today points out—between the fundraising numbers, Biden's announcement, and the folding up of the Webb and Chaffee campaigns—it hasn't been a bad week for Clinton despite the much-hyped Benghazi hearing. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)