Last month, four State Department officials were placed on administrative leave for “systemic failures and leadership deficiencies at senior levels in securing the compound” at Benghazi, Libya, in September. The failures had resulted in the deaths of four people, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The four were only relieved of their duties and remain State Department employees though. In testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explained what that meant in practical terms: “They are on administrative leave and under federal law and regulation they are still being paid.”