Julian Castro calls Hillary Clinton email scandal a witch hunt: Says Benghazi has been studied to death

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro said the Hillary Clinton email scandal is a "witch hunt" that the Benghazi terror attack "has been studied to death." Castro is considered my many, including myself, to be the most likely candidate for Vice President on the 2016 Democratic presidential ticket.

CNN: Let me ask you one more question about the 2016 campaign, these e-mails that have been released by the State Department with respect to Hillary Clinton and her time there, the private e-mails she was using to conduct business at the department. Do you believe that she has answered that question appropriately and fully?

Castro: Oh, absolutely.

CNN: You're satisfied?

Castro: Let's take a look at this issue of Benghazi. This thing has been studied to death by Republicans and Democrats, several committees including in Congress that have all said, yes, of course what happened was tragic but Secretary Clinton was not in any way at all responsible. And what you have here with these e-mails is basically a witch hunt. And you know, Congressman Gowdy, who is leading this, is very intentionally trying to manipulate this witch hunt to play politics.

That's unfortunate. And it's one of the reasons that Congress has a 19% approval rating.

I think we need focus on more substantive things. As one who hasn't spent my lifetime in D.C., I know that out there in America they care about are you reducing Veteran homelessness, are you providing the impetus for young people to be able to achieve their dreams, are we making sure that America in this 21st century remains the undisputed land of opportunity, not whether somebody had e-mails or didn't have them --

CNN: Do you use a private e-mail account?

Castro: I have my government e-mail of course i have my private account. e-mail but i have my government e-mail. but that's beside the point. i think --

CNN: You do government business on the government e-mail account and --

Castro: That's right.

CNN: Private business on the private account.

Castro: That's right. and she's already explained that. people want us to focus on policy makers on things that matter to their lives. They want us to make a difference in creating more opportunity out there. And that's just a witch hunt that is a sideshow. I think the work that we're doing to end veteran homelessness is a good example of something that matters.