Benghazi ... the last word ... really

Seven days late and seven million dollars short, the Republicans of the Select Committee on Benghazi released their report today.  No Democrats on the Committee were involved in crafting the 800-page Republican report.  They released a report of their own yesterday. 

To the surprise of no one, the Republican report contains no new evidence that Hillary Clinton did anything wrong, slept through the 3 a.m. phone call, gave any stand-down command, or that she blamed the attack on a video - which did exist - but she never cited that video as the motivation behind the attack. Neither did any "Clinton administration" have anything to do with these attacks. One ended in 2001 and the other doesn't begin until 2017.  Trey Gowdy's slips of the tongue really say it all.

Nothing has been so wasteful in time and tax dollars as this so-called investigation.



Hillary's defense team was quick to respond to the Republican move.

“New Revelations” From Benghazi Report Notably Old

Republican efforts to exploit the Benghazi tragedy to score political points against Hillary Clinton has been both disturbing and fruitless.

Two years and $7 million after its inception, the taxpayer-funded partisan witch hunt known as the Benghazi Committee concluded quite fittingly: Republican members, who insisted in breaking precedent and releasing their own report rather than a bipartisan one from the committee, selectively leaked out portions of their report in the middle of the night.

As objective viewers quickly determined, the report offers no new evidence of wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton. So, having once again failed in their efforts to uncover a smoking gun, committee Republicans have opted to repackage previously known information and present it as new. Here are a few examples:

“NEW REVELATION” – A team of Marines was delayed on a runway in Spain as there were deliberations over what uniforms they should wear.

Benghazi Republicans Report Summary: “The following facts are among the many new revelations in Part I… A Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) sat on a plane in Rota, Spain, for three hours, and changed in and out of their uniforms four times.”

FACT – The uniform issue was revealed in 2013. It was again confirmed by Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee in 2014. Moreover, it had zero impact on the mission, and safety was the driving concern.

Fox News, 1/22/2013: “Fox News has learned that U.S. Marines who were part of a FAST (Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team) responding to Libya were told by the State Department to deplane, change out of their U.S. military uniforms and put on civilian clothes before flying to Tripoli… Defense Department spokesman George Little says that the FAST team would not have been in Libya in time to save any lives, and any delays to change out of military uniforms likely did not make a difference since all surviving State Department personnel left the consulate for the CIA Annex about an hour and 45 minutes after the attack began”

GOP Armed Services Committee Report on Benghazi, 2/2014: “Presumably, warfighters changed out of uniform because of concerns that the arrival of combat-ready troops might unduly alarm or inflame Libyan observers.  Although General Dempsey acknowledged to the Senate that this action delayed the platoon’s arrival in Libya, he said it was not enough to prevent it from getting to Benghazi before attack survivors departed.”

Select Committee on Benghazi Interview of Marine FAST Commander, 9/2/2015: QUESTION: And you mentioned that, even had you had aircraft collocated and loaded up within an hour, you could not have made it to Benghazi prior to the second attack. Is that right?

FAST COMMANDER: That is correct, ma’am. And as per FAST mission, we are not designed as a hostage rescue force. We are not—what was happening on the deck on the evening of the 11th to the morning of the 12th is not within the parameters of FAST mission. [...]

QUESTION: And you mentioned in the last hour even the confusion you had over the uniforms did not make a difference in your ability to complete your mission. Is that right?

FAST COMMANDER: Absolutely not.

Pentagon Joint Staff Director For Operations Admiral Kurt Tidd, Interview with Select Committee on Benghazi, 4/4/2016: “It was from a security perspective that, I think, they were thinking of not moving uniformed marines at night in buses through the—you know—or, actually, in the early hours of the morning through downtown Tripoli to the embassy.”

“NEW REVELATION” – Clinton had planned to visit Libya at the end of 2012, and witness testimony asserted that she wanted the Benghazi post made permanent.

Benghazi Republicans Report Summary: “The following facts are among the many new revelations in Part III… Emails indicate senior State Department officials, including Cheryl Mills, Jake Sullivan, and Huma Abedin were preparing for a trip by the Secretary of State to Libya in October 2012. According to testimony, Chris Stevens wanted to have a “deliverable” for the Secretary for her trip to Libya, and that “deliverable” would be making the Mission in Benghazi a permanent Consulate.”

WaPo: House Benghazi report: Clinton was planning a trip to Libya before the attacks

The Hill: “Among the report's new revelations is the notion that Ambassador Chris Stevens, one of the Americans killed, was in Benghazi with the aim of erecting a permanent diplomatic post, to replace the temporary one that came under fire.”

FACT – In 2013, Gregory Hicks, the Deputy Chief of Mission to Libya, publicly testified that Clinton had wanted the Benghazi post made permanent and had planned to visit Tripoli.

House Oversight Committee Hearing, 5/8/2013: REP. THOMAS MASSIE [R-KY]: Did you tell the Accountability Review Board about Secretary Clinton's interest in establishing a permanent presence in Benghazi? [...]

GREGORY HICKS: Yes, I did tell the Accountability Review Board that Secretary Clinton wanted the post made permanent. Ambassador Pickering looked surprised. He looked both ways on the -- to the members of the board, saying, "Does the 7th floor know about this?" And another factor was our understanding that Secretary Clinton intended to visit Tripoli in December.

“NEW REVELATION” – Hillary Clinton attended a video conference that was held on the night of the attacks.

NBC News: “In a newly revealed two-hour secure video conference on the night of the attacks led by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and attended by Clinton and others…”

FACT – The video conference was previously known about; Hillary Clinton even wrote about it in her own book, ‘Hard Choices’.

Hillary Clinton, Hard Choices, pg. 327: “I headed to the Operations Center for a secure videoconference between various government agencies and the White House Situation Room, officials from the National Security Council, the CIA, the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other agencies. This was a Deputies meeting that did not include Principals, but protocol was the last thing on my mind. I downloaded to the group my discussions with Greg and President Magariaf, and I stressed how critical it was to get our people out of Benghazi as quickly and safely as possible.”

Hillary chimed in briefly from the campaign trail in Denver where she unveiled a technology and innovation agenda.


Time to move on and worry about the almost 33,000 gun-related deaths a year in the United States.

Democrats on the Benghazi Select Committee Issue Preemptive Report

Last week, the Republicans on the House Select Committee on Benghazi failed to meet their own self-imposed deadline for issuing a report. Democrats on that committee, mindful of their accountability to the American people who employ them, have proactively issued a report of their own with recommendations for better security at diplomatic missions.

The committee, established pursuant to H. Res. 567 passed on May 8, 2014, has spent two years chasing its own tail in efforts to bring down the then potential candidacy of Hillary Clinton who testified before the committee in an astounding 11-hour marathon on October 22, 2015 and essentially wore the adversarial Republicans down and out.



No committee has been more transparently and abusively political except the House UnAmerican Actitives Committee (HUAC) which functioned from 1938 to 1975 and investigated alleged disloyalty and subversive activities of private citizens for the stated purpose of combating communism in government, education, entertainment and other aspects of American life.  Many innocent lives were scarred.

The Democratic report, just under 340 pages, heavy with documented testimony, and broad in scope, takes explicit and direct aim at the Republican political agenda and misuse of the committee and the information sought and gathered.  It is not Janet Evanovich,  Mary Higgins Clark or Dan Brown, but it is recommended summer reading that is sure to figure in the debates.

Read the report here >>>>

Benghazi Committee #Fail

Benghazi Committee fails to meet self-imposed deadline.

House Benghazi Investigation

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2015, file photo, House Benghazi Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., left, confers with the committee's ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., during the committee's hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The committee has missed a self-imposed deadline to issue a report “before summer," the latest setback for a probe that has gone on for more than two years and drawn scorn from Democrats who say the primary goal of the Republican-led investigation is to undermine Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Waste of tax dollars as are those spent still providing Bernie Sanders with Secret Service protection.

Lord almighty!  How some people just do not want a woman, and especially the one who is the most qualified person since Adams 2 , Jefferson, Adams 6, and Buchanan (the last former SOS elected).  Well, I am not sure those guys would have liked Hillary either, but I think they would have respected her.  And a few ex-POTUSes might have liked her. Geez!  She's funny, and she's cute, and she's effing smart as blazes! Yeah. I think more than a few ex-POTUSes would have liked her a lot.  Especially FDR.

7th Annual Hillary Clinton Year in Review: Installment III March 2015

Hillary began March on a date with Bill Clinton to see the musical Hamilton, then playing Off-Broadway.  It since has moved to The Great White Way and is a huge hit.

The Clintons were here tonight. So that's presidents #1, 2#, #3 and #42 accounted for. (Maybe #45?) #HAMILTONpublic

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 2, 2015

The Clintons lost another friend when Rev. Theodore Hesburgh passed away.

The media, and particularly the New York Times, launched what would become a season or more of attacks based on Hillary's use of a private email server.  These were regularly deflected by the State Department, Media Matters, and members of Hillary's own team who came to her defense. Hillary herself addressed the issue several times and insisted that she wanted the public to see her emails.   Since that time, many have been released by the State Department and news sources continue to pour over them.

Hillary continued her active public speaking career with participation in CGIU, a No Ceilings event with Chelsea and Melinda Gates, the annual U.N. Women's Empowerment event (where the media paid far more attention to a brief presser she gave on the sidelines about - yep - her emails), a surprise visit to eBay execs in San Jose, California, and what was to become the final professional speaking engagement for the duration addressing camp professionals in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Near the end of March, she keynoted the Toner Award event in D.C.

Hillary also continued being recognized with awards and honors.  Emily's list bestowed their We Are Emily Award on her and  Irish America Magazine inducted her into their Hall of Fame.

Over the course of the month,  Hillary became very active on Twitter speaking out on a variety of issues.  This attention to current events on social media added to the weaning off of scheduled paid speaking events signaled that change was in the air.  Meanwhile the House Select Committee on Benghazi continued beating their drums and ended the month insisting that she testify in private rather than publicly.  It was becoming clear that there was an impending campaign and the Republicans in Congress intended to head it off or inflict damage by using their sworn sacred duty for dirty political purposes.  That was lost on no one here or anywhere in the Hillary world.

Here are the archives for March 2015 >>>>

7th Annual Hillary Clinton Year in Review: Installment I January 2015

As the dust settled after last night's debate and two Hillarys reunited with Sarah on SNL, I realized that there are only 12 days left in the year!



It is time to take a look back at Hillary's year.  The countdown continues to New Year's Eve.
As the new year began, a Quinnipiac poll selected Hillary ...

Hillary Clinton: New Yorkers’ Dream Date

January 5, 2015



Sadly, Mario Cuomo passed away on New Year's Day.

Bill and Hillary Clinton Attend Funeral for Mario Cuomo

January 6, 2015




Hillary teamed up with Carole King to raise funds for the Clinton Foundation.

Hillary Clinton and Carole King to Team Up for a Fundraiser

January 15, 2015

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, greets Senator Dianne Feinstein as singer Carole King, left, at an October fundraiser. Associated Press

She continued her public speaking tour - this time above the border.

Hillary Clinton in Winnipeg

January 21, 2015

Hillary Clinton in Saskatoon – Not With 65 Secret Service Agents, Though

January 22, 2015
She told this audience that extremism was spreading - long before Donald Trump began his tirades.


King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia passed away.

President and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz

January 23, 2015

So did Ernie Banks.

Tweets from Hillary Clinton: R.I.P. Ernie Banks

January 24, 2015



Hillary asserted that she would testify before Congress.  The testimony was delayed time and again by the Select Committee on Benghazi and did not occur until October - and it was awesome!

Of Course Hillary Clinton Will Testify As Requested!

January 27, 2015

Congressman: Hillary Clinton agrees to testify to House’s Benghazi panel

Washington (CNN)Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has agreed to testify to the House’s select committee investigating Benghazi, the panel’s Democratic ranking member told CNN on Tuesday.

Rep. Elijah Cummings said that Clinton agreed to testify before the committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attack in December after her contacted her a months earlier.

... and there were wrongheaded Republican attacks.  Reminder, Hillary worked very well with Sergei Lavrov and they crafted the very crucial New START treaty.

Mitt Romney needs a reality check. What else is new?

January 28, 2015

It was a sad month, with the deaths.   The GOP was gunning for her  Their fear of her never takes a back seat, but neither does Hillary Clinton's ability to attract a receptive audience.

Here are the archives for January 2015 >>>>

The Eleventh Hour

How ironic and extraordinarily well-planned that around 11:30 last night on NBC a trailer popped up for a movie that will not be released until January 15.  What a supreme coincidence that the subject of the movie is the terrorist attacks on the U.S. compounds in Benghazi. Many will cite moments from the hearing, but the real WTF moment occurred after it ended with the appearance of the trailer for this movie.

 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

Action, Drama, Thriller  |  15 January 2016 (USA)

Not yet released

(voting begins after release)

An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

Director: Michael Bay

Writers: Chuck Hogan (screenplay), Mitchell Zuckoff (book)

Stars: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale | See full cast and crew »

Read more and see trailer >>>>

The trailer appeared a little more than 13 hours from the moment Hillary Clinton commenced her testimony before the House Select committee.  Disturbing.  What is the basis for this movie?  Like Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, it is billed as "based on a true story," but there is a subtle difference between "a true story" and "based on a true story."

Since I had never heard such a movie was in production and had never heard of the book on which it is based, I, of course, googled and found this.

Angry Libyans slam Michael Bay's Benghazi attack thriller

Politicians, bloggers and social-media users bemoan ‘typical action movie all about American heroism’ that paints locals as ‘fanatical and ignorant’
Furious Libyans have criticised a Michael Bay movie about the fatal 2012 attack on the US embassy in Benghazi for playing up the heroism of American soldiers and ignoring the contribution of local people.
The first trailer for Bay’s action thriller 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi has caused uproar in Libya’s second-largest city after it was circulated on social media, with government officials, bloggers and Facebook users lining up to criticise the film.
SNIP
The US release of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, which stars John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Toby Stephens and Pablo Schreiber, has also been caught up in controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton’s current US presidential run. Clinton, who was US secretary of state at the time of the Benghazi attack, has been accused by Republicans of using a private email account to conduct government business during the period. The January release of Bay’s film, two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, constitutes poor timing in terms of the former first lady’s campaign – especially if Bay’s film proves a big hit at the box office.
Read more >>>>

Those who purchased the air time at NBC arguably had no way to know how long yesterday's testimony would last.  Had clock-watcher nonpareil Linda Sanchez not asked how late the proceedings were going to continue last night, we all might still have been tuned to C-SPAN, and I would not have seen the trailer.  Linda remained conscientiously within her allotted time throughout while the chairman routinely allowed Republicans to go well beyond - often by more than four minutes.  We can speculate that had Lynn Westmoreland been allowed another round, he would again have asked why the secretary did not send in FEST, and Hillary would have retained her consistently patient demeanor and explained again that he misunderstood what FEST is and does.  She clearly was prepared to stay as long as necessary.



Given that some Republicans appeared to think another round of questions was coming, it seemed a little abrupt and anti-climactic when Trey Gowdy suddenly called the session to a close as it was about to enter the 12th hour.  Sort of like he waved a white flag.  "We surrender, Hillary! We cannot outlast you or trip you up."

Until I saw the trailer,  I did not realize how close the hearing came to the duration of the attack.  I am pretty sure Hillary and many committee members were aware of that.  As for the background of this movie, its accuracy, intent, and the money behind it,  there are many questions.  If all we know right now is that residents of Benghazi are angered,  that is enough to arouse suspicion since we all remember that it was the Libyans who found Chris Stevens and moved him to a hospital.  They knew him and liked him, and if they are insulted by this film, something here rankles.

That the release comes in the eleventh hour before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries implies a nefarious intent and yet another shameful use of this tragedy as a political tool.

Somehow I can predict that this post will go largely ignored while everyone celebrates Hillary's great week with "This Girl's on Fire!" posters.  Fiddling while Rome burns.  We need to get to the bottom of this movie mystery.

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Update: 11/10/15
They played an extended ad ( two-minutes) for 13 Hours in the middle of tonight’s debate.

TPM Livewire

Ad For Michael Bay’s ‘Benghazi’ Thriller Plays During GOP Debate Break

Within minutes, Michael Bay was trending on Twitter.  Fortunately, many tweets were about how fishy this convergence was but not all were negative by a long shot.