(CNN) - The back-and-forth between Republicans and defenders of Hillary Clinton’s record as America’s top diplomat is flaring anew.
On Tuesday, a reporter asked agency spokeswoman Jen Psaki to "identify one tangible achievement" from a key project executed under Clinton's leadership - the first audit of the State Department.
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That review was aimed at identifying how the agency could become more efficient, accountable and effective at carrying out diplomacy and delivering aid worldwide.
"I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort, could point out one," Psaki responded.
That answer drew a sharp response from the Republican National Committee, which said it was another illustration of what the GOP regards as Clinton’s lackluster record from her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to early 2013.
“It speaks volumes that the State Department is having trouble naming the accomplishments from Secretary Clinton’s tenure," RNC spokesman Jahan Wilcox said in a statement.
"Americans are quite familiar with Hillary Clinton’s role regarding Benghazi and the failed Russia Reset initiative, but they’re still scratching their heads on what exactly she accomplished as the secretary of state,” Wilcox said.
Later, the State Department provided a list of seven changes resulting from the 2010 audit. They included the reorganization and creation of undersecretary positions and the establishment of three bureaus aimed at countering terrorism, promoting American energy interests and helping civilian leaders of the agency prevent conflict and violence.
“Hard Choices,” Clinton's book about her years at the State Department, goes on sale June 10, providing her with a chance to tout what she sees as her successes.
In the meantime, Republicans continue to try to fill the political vacuum with repeated criticism of her diplomatic record, which polls show is a positive with voters ahead of a potential 2016 White House bid.
While Clinton stays relatively mum on the subject, the defense of her record at the State Department is left to her allies and Correct the Record, a spinoff of Democratic super PAC American Bridge. It was founded to deflect Republican attacks that might endanger a Clinton candidacy before she's even decided whether to run.
The group points to a list of 11 achievements on its website. It credits her with restoring America's leadership and standing in the world, building and maintaining a coalition to enact unprecedented sanctions against Iran, her role in a nuclear missile reduction treaty with Russia and her support for the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
"And, yes, you can also find information on her implementation of (audit)-inspired reforms, including the integration of women into the secretary of state policy framework and ensuring our economic, energy, and environmental goals serve U.S. national security interests," senior adviser Burns Strider told CNN.
But without major achievements to point to, like progress on Mideast peace, and U.S.-Russian relations at a post-Cold War low despite her attempt to reset them, arguments for her accomplishments are modest.
Even Clinton herself has struggled to clearly articulate concrete examples of her success.
"I really see my role as secretary, and, in fact, leadership in general in a democracy, as a relay race," Clinton told an audience at a recent event in New York when she was asked about her triumphs in that job. "You run the best race you can run, you hand off the baton."
CNN Foreign Affairs Reporter Elise Labott contributed to this report.