Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State the U.S. Specifically, she said "we cannot permit northern Mali to become a safe haven." The next day, January 24, Clinton introduced John Kerry before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as hearings were held on his nomination to succeed her. She called him "the right choice to carry forward the Obama Administration's foreign policy", and called out his testimony before the same committee in 1971 in opposition to the Vietnam War as "speaking hard truths about a war that had gone badly off track." At both public appearances, as well as at the second inauguration of Barack Obama, Clinton wore
Clinton Foundation–State Department controversy of State for the Obama administration, Senator Richard Lugar (the senior Republican on the committee) said that the Foundation was “a unique complication that would have to be managed with great care and transparency.” Lugar said that the foundation could create the impression that foreign donors were giving money to gain access at the State Department: "The core of the problem is that foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favor with the Secretary of State". Before her confirmation as Secretary of State, Clinton approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Foundation