As I posted earlier today, Fox & Friends tried to revive Benghazi-Gate by hyping Sen. James Inhofe’s ridiculous claim that Benghazi is “probably the greatest cover-up in my memory.” Later, on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace brought up the recent State Department investigation which “laid the blame at the Assistant Secretary level, not at the level of Secretary of State Clinton” and asked his panel if the controversy is “effectively over.”
Predictably, panelist Laura Ingraham didn’t think so. She said there is “gross negligence” that somehow never reached up to Clinton’s level and then sneered about Clinton’s “immaculate concussion” that prevented her from testifying in Congress last week. “It all just seems a little bit too convenient,” Ingraham said. Noting that there are still questions about security at our embassies around the word, she added, “I think people are not going to forget this.”
But Juan Williams smacked it down beautifully.
The controversy’s dead. Over. Has been dead and over for a long time. I think there are people who want to perpetuate it but the fact is if you look at the report, it says there’s no cover up, no lies. It was politicized in the midst of the campaign… Nobody’s indicating that Secretary Clinton had some operative, decision-making role here that led to this calamity. Nobody’s saying that. So, you know, she may say she saw some of it but it’s not determinative.
I think the larger issue here is the fact that this report – you know, and you have credible people behind it, saying, “You know what? We’ve looked into all this and there were assets on the ground.” Did anybody tell the people at the compound not to go help the people at the consulate? Turns out that the ambassador had an unusual attitude in his personal movements. Turns out that there had been requests for security but most of the requests were in Tripoli, not Benghazi.
You know what? Human beings make mistakes. But to make it into this political – some people say Watergate – it was ridiculous from the start and it’s looking worse now.
Nicely put. But I wouldn’t expect Fox to give up this loser of a “scandal” as a result. At least not until they can concoct some new one.
Wow, Jim — you must have a short memory
- Watergate
- Iran-Contra
- Cheney energy meetings
- warrantless wiretapping
- US Attorney firings
- Valerie Plame
As for you, Juan . . . expect to get a memo from Ailes shortly; he and Rupe won’t stand for Greta Van Susteren sticking up for Hillary Clinton — they SURE as hell won’t stand for you trying to downplay a prime, possible “scandal” . . .
.