Hillary Clinton failed to protect the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya and "defend our ambassador," and her decisions as secretary of State should "preclude her from even being considered for the higher office," Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul told Yahoo News on Wednesday

The Republican presidential hopeful slammed Clinton's actions surrounding the September 2012 attack on the diplomatic mission, which led to the death of Christopher Stevens, the first U.S. ambassador killed on duty since 1979.

Paul aruged that Clinton's record would inevitably play a role in the 2016 White House race, in which Clinton is seen as the Democratic Party frontrunner.

"The biggest mistake Hillary Clinton made, and I think this will be an albatross over her neck for the rest of the campaign -- I don't think she'll be able to overcome this -- is that when she was asked to provide security for Benghazi, she didn't do it," the junior senator said.

Clinton has not formally announced her candidacy, but the former New York senator said she was "obviously" considering a 2016 White House run, according to Politico. Her decision, she said, would come "all in good time." Paul, meanwhile, evaded questions about his presidential ambitions, Yahoo News noted.

"Sometime in March, in April, we're going to make a firm, final decision," he said about a potential campaign. "I'm someone who wants to defend the country, but I'm not eager for war. And we'll make that presentation to the people and see if it resonates."

Asked about controversial comments recently made by his father, three-time presidential candidate and former Rep. Ron Paul, the Kentucky senator pointed to his "great relationship ... with the Congressional Black Caucus."

The elder Paul had said that members of the congressional group were only anti-war "because they want all of that money to go to food stamps."

In response, Rand Paul pointed to his efforts to reform the criminal justice system.

"I'm the only Republican who has been saying over and over again that the war on drugs has had a disproportionate impact on people of color," he noted. "I'll continue to fight those battles, and I think I'll be judged on my own actions."

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