White House: Republicans ignored Benghazi emails

[DonViejo]

Source: Salon


Administration officials say top Republicans saw the emails two months ago and didn't express any issues

BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD

Republican members of Congress raised no objections when they first saw internal emails detailing the evolution of the administration’s talking points on Benghazi almost two months ago, senior administration officials said in response to a question from Salon today, and House Speaker John Boehner declined to attend or send a representative to that briefing.

Lawyers with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed House and Senate Intelligence Committee members in March about the emails, which ABC News released today to much hullabaloo, after officials said they would make them available to members of Congress in February.

Yesterday, Boehner called for the release of the emails, but the administration officials, who agreed to speak on a conference call with reporters only on the condition of anonymity, said today that Boehner would have seen them had he attended the briefing, to which he and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were also invited.

On the Senate side, lawyers briefed Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Richard Burr, who said the briefing satisfied many of his concerns. “It answers a lot, if not all, of the questions that the committee [had] from an oversight standpoint,” he told the Hill at the time. On the House side, those briefed included Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael McCaul. Republican members in neither chamber raised substantive concerns about the emails, the official said, and were free to discuss them publicly as they were not classified.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/05/10/wh_republicans_had_no_concerns_about_benghazi_emails/

[graham4anything]

1. and then Karl Rove, Jeb Bush and the Koch Brothers called each other

btw, who benefited from Benghazi?
Who took credit for it?
What if the Mandarin from Iron Man 3 did it? (never mind, I didn't say that.)

But why do I think this story is being dragged out, and shouldn't?
The story itself should have died way before this weekend.

This Rand Paul did it, the W did it, just brings us down to their level, which is what they want.

[JDPriestly]

12. Ambassador Stevens expressed concern about the security for his meeting with the Turkish

ambassador and was reassured by the guard at the door. I read that in a Dayton newspaper shortly after the election.

Do I wonder what was going on in Libya prior to the attack? Yes I do. There was something peculiar about the fact that the Turkish and American ambassadors were meeting at the Benghazi consulate so recently after problems in Libya.

I have heard that a CIA detail was in close proximity. Did they respond? If not, why not? If yes, what happened?

I have watched the September 12, 2012 comments on the Benghazi "attack" on the President's website, WhiteHouse.gov.

I do not think there are any legitimate questions about how Clinton and Obama handled informing the public about the events. To the extent there is a "cover-up," it is because of sensitive security issues about events and conditions in Libya. Was Ambassador Stevens most worried about his security before meeting in Benghazi with the Turkish ambassador. Most certainly. And he probably should not have gone. But he did go. That was his decision.

My questions have to do with events prior to the event.

It concerns me that our government keeps so many secrets and is not open about what is really going on in societies in countries like Libya. But my concerns and concerns like them, concerns about he generally absurd obsession with government's privacy and the general trampling on the privacy of ordinary citizens, is of no importance to the Republicans.

With this Benghazi stuff, Republicans are making themselves irrelevant. They could be focusing on real problems -- like the general lack of information provided to the American people about our security state's activities around the world.

But a Benghazi cover-up? So far Republicans have not explained what they think was being covered up. And unless they do, the entire hullabaloo is a waste of media time. Are they hoping that some underlying fact now classified for national security reasons will be inadvertently blurted out by some administration official? Probably. Dream on, Rep. Issa. Dream on.

I just hope we vote this Republican majority out of power in 2014. Benghazi is one of the reasons to do it, just one. What a waste of our money. Paying these idiot Republicans to investigate non-scandals.

Sorry. Just had to rant on this. I am so annoyed.

[Iliyah]

2. WITCH HUNT

vote the GOPers out in 2014 then America can start healing and further fix the economy that the GOP party has ignored since all they want to do blame, distort, cost American taxpayer money for investigations that is leading nowhere.

[gateley]

3. Meanwhile, Congress continues to play politics and will hold yet another meaningless

vote on Obamacare, while America burns.

[DhhD]

22. We the People must ask ourselves:

Are we better off with regards to having a pre-existing condition than we were 4 years ago? How about dumping critically ill children out of healthcare? How about being on your own to pay for outrageously high insurance premiums? And losing your savings and home to move to Medicaid?

It is time that we take a look at WHO is voting to return to the nightmare of Pre-ACA. Let the new destroyers of democracy vote/speak/assemble. Who is laying waste to the American Dream, to the healing of America?

We the People are watching.

[KansDem]

4. GOP = "Gripe Or Pout"

I swear, that's all Republicans do anymore!

And this--

Yesterday, Boehner called for the release of the emails, but the administration officials, who agreed to speak on a conference call with reporters only on the condition of anonymity, said today that Boehner would have seen them had he attended the briefing, to which he and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were also invited.

Do your fucking job, Mr. Speaker! When you're invited to attend a briefing, ATTEND THE BRIEFING!!! Then you'd know what's going on.

Don't bitch and moan about releasing emails that you would have seen had you done your fucking job!!!

I'm getting sick and tired of this horseshit!

[AAO]

17. He would have missed his tee time.

[CTyankee]

23. or nursing a bad wine hangover...

[Thinkingabout]

5. Peehaps it is time to have a hearing about the lacknof interest and attendance to briefings.

Did Boenher, McCain, Graham, Issa and other "concerned" congressional members fail to attend on purpose or was afraid they might learn the truth and would not need to spend money on a special hearing.

[MADem]

6. Gotta love the big finish...

The emails about the September 2012 attack on the diplomatic post in Libya were shared with members of Congress during negotiations over the confirmation of CIA Director John Brennan. If Republicans had had major problems with what the emails revealed, they probably would have said something at the time and not confirmed Brennan 63-34, White House spokesperson Jay Carney said during his daily press briefing this afternoon. “This is an effort to accuse the administration of hiding something that we did not hide,” Carney said.

http://www.salon.com/2013/05/10/wh_republicans_had_no_concerns_about_benghazi_emails/


Ooooooopsie....

[Cha]

13. Perfect from Carney! thanks MADem.. here's something from

Sarah Jones on Jay at PoliticusUSA

White House press secretary Jay Carney was trending on twitter Friday afternoon after a press conference in which he reminded reporters that Mitt Romney started the politicization of the Benghazi attacks. You see, conservatives are outraged that Carney repeated the Candy Crowley “lie” (also known as a fact in sane circles) that Obama referred to the Benghazi attacks as an “act of terror.”

Jay Carney said today, “There is the discussion about, you know, the Republicans again, and this ongoing effort that began hours of the attacks when Mitt Romney put out a press release to try to take political advantage out of these deaths, or out of the attack in Benghazi, and, in a move that was maligned even by members of his own party. And from that day forward, there has been this effort to politicize it.”

http://www.politicususa.com/jay-carney-benghazi.html

[MADem]

18. +1!!! nt

[Sunlei]

24. yes the very day of the attacks Pres. O was on live,said 'terrorist attack'. Mitt R on live made

an ass of himself! On tv so fast his tie was crooked- ""Mitt Romney started the politicization of the Benghazi attacks""

I still think those Rs were somehow, knew something, behind the attack and ready to spring into action for political gains.

In my opinion this has a lot to do with who subtitled that stupid B grade film and sent it to the internet crazy Iman 2 days before 9/11. That whacko called for global protests at USA offices- and that provided cover for the attacks.

[John2]

25. I believe that President Obama

is doing what every President does when our military conducts covert actions within another country. When another country uses their intelligence forces to conduct covert actions in another country, they don't want the public to know, because that is how they get around International law.

The Gadaffi Government was overthrown with U.S. assistance and probably done with covert activities. My basic premise of an ambassador is a person stationed in a foreign country that carries on relations with the Foreign Government of the country. I've seen information that chris Stevens was with the rebel militias before the former Libyan Government was overthrown. If that was so, he was already putting himself at risk within dangerous environments without the help of U.S. protection. If you got a foreign Government's CIA operating in a country, they are there doing covert operations and carrying out Policies the U.S. government don't want people to know. The first question I would ask, is why was Chris Stevens in this dangerous area of Libya without much protection? Was he facilitating covert activities other than just being an Ambassador?

The whole Regime changing Policies require dangerous and secret activities by nature. The two navy seals that accompanied Stevens was also attached to the CIA. Could they have been carrying out a secret operation that cover was blown? Who else knew Stevens was going to be at this certain place and time? According to some sources, the way it down, was the assailants arrive in trucks carrying the logos, representing a unit delegated to provide security in the area. There was also information, they used the disguise of a protest to carry out their mission after they block the roads leading to the structure. What was in the building that was lightly protected a few miles from the CIA annex. Was stevens suppose to meet a contact there?

You don't want to blame the Decease for taking risks but the Ambassador of Libya, is by definition, the highest ranking U.S. representative in that country. The republicans made claims Stevens wanted more protection but that seems to counter prior information how he felt comfortable going around the militias he contacted and trusted in the overthrow of Gadaffi. I still keep going back to his Diary and why some operatives made a point to gain possession of it before U.S. investigators arrived on the scene? Why did the person who obtained it not turn it over to investigators, but turned it over to a former Bush operative? Why is this not a violation of the crime scene? How did this person get access to the scene when the FBI team was delayed because the claims was it was too dangerous? Even though the person had CNN credentials, she still got access before American investigators it seems and took something away from the scene. That is strange.

[Sunlei]

27. good post That is strange. Those are the questions that are totally blocked by republicans.

[pinto]

7. "House Speaker John Boehner declined to attend or send a representative to that briefing."

I hope this gets picked up by the talking heads. The little I've seen covered so far are breathless implications of "cover-up, cover-up!"

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. I'm very concerned and outraged

that he failed to send a representative to that briefing to break up a cover-up in progress!

[DallasNE]

9. The Wheels Are Really Starting To Come Off For Republicans

This ploy by Boehner reminds me of the press conference John McCain was holding to criticize the Obama administration for withholding information on Benghazi at the exact same time slot Gen. Petreaous was testifying before a committee on which McCain is a member.

[Vietnameravet]

10. Facts dont mean shit to the Repbus except one

Barack HUSSEIN Obama is President..they lost..that is the only real fact they get.. and they cant live with it!!
Fuck 'em!

[sheshe2]

11. K&R!

Boehner sure has egg on his face for not attending the briefing, as do the others.

Makes them all look like the jackasses that they are!

Main Entry: inept  [in-ept, ih-nept] Show IPA
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: clumsy, unskilled; incompetent
Synonyms: all thumbs, artless, awkward, bumbling, bungling, butterfingers, gauche, halting, inadept, incapable, incompetent, inefficient, inexpert, loser, maladroit, unapt, undexterous, unfacile, ungraceful, unhandy, unproficient, unskillful, wooden
Antonyms: able, adroit, competent, dexterous, fit, skilled, skillful

Yup that says it all.

Thank you, DonViejo!

[Iliyah]

14. GOPers are now fundraising off

of the Benghazi tragedy.

[maddezmom]

15. They are repulsive

[Beacool]

16. More idiocy from this merry bunch of Baggers.

Someone wake me up when they come up with something truly shocking.

[blackspade]

19. Republicans continue to beat their drums up on.....

Bullshit Mountain...

[struggle4progress]

20. "And why won't the President tell us the truth about what happened during the Battle of Verdun?"

[emulatorloo]

21. Kick for Republican Bullshit.

[livetohike]

26. Pathetic. I hope the GOP dig themselves a hole so deep that they

lose the House by a wide margin in 2014.

[SunSeeker]

28. K & R

[judesedit]

29. Like they ignored the 13 embassy consulate bombings and 105 deaths during Bushco. Numerous injured