Washington, May 23 (RHC)-- The U.S. State Department has released hundreds of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's e-mails related to the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The e-mails, released on Friday, are from Clinton's private e-mail account, which she used while she was the head of the State Department.

"The e-mails we release today do not change the essential facts or our understanding of the events before, during or after the attacks," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement ahead of the release.

The released e-mails are the first batch of the some 55,000 e-mails that the State Department is currently reviewing for release. More Clinton e-mails are set to be released soon.

The State Department and Clinton have been subject to intense scrutiny by a congressional committee which is investigating the attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, during which four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed.

However, according to CNN, up to 35 CIA operatives were also working in Benghazi during the attack on the U.S. consulate on September 11, 2012. But the American broadcaster never reported how many of them died or injured.

Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has come under intense criticism after the New York Times published a report early in March that suggested she violated federal regulations by using a private e-mail account from a server at her New York home while in government.

Using personal e-mail does not necessarily violate rules as long as they are properly preserved, but the practice has raised doubts about her transparency.