Hillary Clinton: make my emails public

WASHINGTON, March 5 (UPI) -- Hillary Clinton said late Wednesday she is releasing thousands of emails from her tenure as Secretary of State as a House investigative committee issued subpoenas to take a deeper look into the private emails used for official business.

Clinton posted a comment on Twitter saying that she wants the public to see the emails, marking her first public remarks since the start of the controversy.

"I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible," she said.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the department will review the e-mails first and it could take some time.

"We will undertake this review as quickly as possible," Harf said. "Given the sheer volume of the document set, this review will take some time to complete."

Clinton's team submitted some 55,000 pages of emails, a Clinton aide told ABC News.

The move comes after The New York Times reported Clinton routinely used her private, non-government email account during her tenure from 2009 to 2013, a violation of the federal records act that mandates preservation of such documents.

On Wednesday, the House Select Committee investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, also issued subpoenas for the documents. The committee is asking for emails from all Clintonemail.com accounts and staff personal accounts related to the attacks.

Clinton is widely considered a leading Democratic nominee for a presidential bid in 2016. She has not announced her candidacy.

I want the public to see my email. I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 5, 2015