Benghazi: The Scandal That Never Was

Yesterday we looked at an astonishing Rachel Maddow exposé on how money-grubbing right-wing operatives are using the "spectre" of ObamaCare to fleece the flock. Go back and look at that and image she was talking about how these scurrilous people are using "Benghazi" instead of "ObamaCare" to line their pockets with the cash of angry, frustrated dummies who spend too much time glued to Fox and Hate Talk Radio propaganda networks.

The political brethren of those hucksters-- your Darrell Issas and Michele Bachmenn, Louie Gohmerts, John Micas and Steve Stockmen-- think they can conjure up enough smoke from thin air to persuade lo-info voters that somehow "Benghazi!" had something to do with Hillary Clinton doing something sinister. Yesterday GOP sociopaths were working with Fox and their host of Hate Talk hosts to continue planting seeds in peoples' minds. Was it an "Inside Job" blared Fox. Above, Alan Grayson got right to the crux of the matter in a few pointed questions. Case closed? Not for the profiteers and political opportunists and conspiracy nuts like Issa and Mica.

The leaders of the State Department's internal review of the Benghazi terror attack were grilled Thursday by congressional Republicans who suggested their probe amounted to an "inside job" that let senior officials off the hook.

The hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee comes days after the committee released a draft report alleging that top State Department officials escaped blame for some of the policy decisions that left the U.S. compound in Benghazi less secure. The leaders of the internal review board-- former Amb. Thomas Pickering and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Mike Mullen -- were called to testify, and defended the board's objectivity and findings.

"I had no sense anywhere that there was any conflict of interest," Pickering said. "I'm proud of the report."

Four mid-level employees were disciplined in the wake of the report, though most were later reassigned. More than a year after the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in which four Americans were killed, many Republican lawmakers say there still hasn't been any measurable accountability.  Their scrutiny recently has turned to the work of the Accountability Review Board, led by Mullen and Pickering.

"It looks like ... sort of an inside job of an investigation. The Department of State looking at the Department of State," Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said.

Pickering later explained that the principle goal of the review was to find out what went wrong so such a tragedy does not happen again.

"This was not, quote, a gotcha investigative panel," he said.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., retorted: "Obviously this was not a gotcha panel. Because nobody was gotcha'd."

The hearing was one of three being held on Benghazi on the House side this week. Democrats complained that Republicans are re-treading over tired talking points, and that the new attempt to pick apart the State Department review is inappropriate.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., top Democrat on the committee, said accusations that the review was a whitewash are "reckless."

"Those kinds of statements upset me, because I think that they are so unfair, and we're better than that," Cummings said. "This Benghazi review was one of the most comprehensive ARB reviews ever conducted."

Though it has been a year since the attack, lawmakers' frustration stems in part from the fact that nobody has been brought to justice in connection with the attack. On top of that, Secretary of State John Kerry recently re-assigned most of those who were disciplined internally over the security posture at the Benghazi post.

In a heated exchange, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also suggested Mullen was not acting independently when he gave Cheryl Mills, a top aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a heads-up that department official Charlene Lamb might not be an ideal witness at a House hearing last fall. Mullen acknowledged that he told Mills he didn't think Lamb would "represent the department well."

Jordan questioned how that intervention squared with his claims that the review board was independent.

Mullen and Pickering claimed it was part of the board's obligation to give status updates to the secretary of State through her staff.

Right-wing groups are happy to just keep fundraising by screaming "Benghazi" and unpatriotic politicians like Issa and Mica will keep looking for ways to damage Hillary Clinton. The Democrat running against Mica in central Florida. Nick Ruiz, was pretty angry. "It's an abuse of political power and position, really. We've been through this already, and no evidence has been brought to light to show wrongdoing in the tragedy of Benghazi. The fact that my opponent John Mica has nothing better to do than go on wild goose chases, in some attempt to smear Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama, or Democrats in general, simply highlights his political incompetence and lack of significant priorities in doing the work of Americans in his district and nationwide." That's why Nick needs our help to defeat Mica in 2014.