Posted on 10/22/2015 9:39:05 AM PDT by Kaslin
Benghazi Select Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy wasted no time Thursday morning going after Hillary Clinton and allegations from her presidential campaign team that his investigation into the 9/11/2012 terror attack is solely focused around her. From Gowdy's opening statement (bolding is mine):
Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods served our country with courage and with honor. They were killed under circumstances most of us could never imagine. Under cover of darkness, terrorists poured through the front gate of our facility and attacked our people and our property with machine guns, mortars and fire.
It is important we remember how these four men died. It is equally important we remember how and why they lived. They were more than four images on a television screen. They were husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, family and friends. They were Americans who believed in service and sacrifice. Many people speak wistfully of a better world, but do little about it. These four men went out and tried to make it better. And it cost them their lives.
We know what they gave us. What do we owe them? Justice for those who killed them. We owe their families our everlasting respect and gratitude. We owe them - and each other - the truth.
Madame Secretary, I understand some people - frankly in both parties -have suggested this investigation is about you. Let me assure you it is not. And let me assure you why it is not. This work is about something much more important than any single person. It is about four U.S. government workers, including our Ambassador, murdered by terrorists on foreign soil. It is about what happened before, during, and after the attacks that killed these four men. It is about what this country owes those who risk their lives to serve it. It is about the fundamental obligation of our government to tell the truth - always - to the American people. Not a single member of this Committee signed up for an investigation into you or your email system. We signed up because we wanted to honor the service and sacrifice of 4 people sent to a foreign land to represent us - who were killed - and do everything we can to prevent it from happening to others.
Our Committee has interviewed half a hundred witnesses, not a single one of them has been named Clinton until today. You were the Secretary of State for this country when our facility was attacked. So, of course this Committee is going to talk to you. You are an important witness, but you are just one important witness, among half a hundred important witnesses.
I understand you wanted to come sooner than today so let me be clear why that did not happen. You had an unusual email arrangement with yourself, which meant the State Department could not produce your emails to us.
You made exclusive use of personal email and a personal server. When you left the State Department you kept those public records to yourself for almost two years. You and your attorneys decided what to return and what to delete. Those decisions were your decisions, not ours. It was only in March of this year we learned of this email arrangement. Since we learned of your email arrangement we have interviewed dozens of witnesses, only one of whom was about your email arrangement, and that was a very short interview because he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.
It was reported publicly for the first time in February 2015 by the New York Times that Clinton had used a private email account and server to conduct all government business during her time as Secretary of State. We also learned she deleted more than 50,000 emails she deemed "private business."
Ranking Member Elijah Cummings used the majority of his opening statement to defend Clinton and to accuses Republicans of a political witch hunt.
"Republicans continue to spin new conspiracy theories that are just as outlandish and inaccurate," Cummings said. "The Select Committee has spent 17 months and $4.7 million in taxpayer funds. We have held four hearings and conducted 54 interviews and depositions. Yes, we have received some new emails—from Secretary Clinton, Ambassador Stevens, and others. And yes, we have conducted some new interviews. But these documents and interviews do not show any nefarious activity. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The new information we have obtained confirms and corroborates the core facts we already knew from the eight previous investigations. They provide more detail, but they do not change the basic conclusions. It is time for Republicans to end this taxpayer-funded fishing expedition. We need to come together and shift from politics to policy."
And of course, in politics they are NEVER outed— unless someone gets killed. The crap sticks to these types, no matter how media tries to wash it off.
Bubba, those are some real tortured theories of your perceived victories in this matter.
It doesn’t surprise me though. Republicans have no choice but to find victory in defeat somehow, otherwise they would have no choice but to realize that they are always defeated.
Let me tell you what I know about prosecution, Bubba.
A successful prosecution results in a criminal being found guilty by a jury and then sentenced by a judge.
That didn’t happen here, did it? The criminal is still free to walk away and do whatever the criminal wants.
As far as critical decisions being made from this... maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. You have no way of knowing. My bet is that they aren’t.
As far as her not being able to build support... her constituency doesn’t give a damn at all. She already has their support and will continue to enjoy it.
What you need to learn, Bubba, is that the function of the GOP is to PROTECT democrats from any actual consequences and FOOL people like you into thinking that they are on your side and doing things on your behalf, when in fact they are actually screwing you all day long, every single day.
And again. And again. And again, and again. Because that is what Democrats do, is lie and lie and lie.
Perhaps that’s just what they need to see most.
Her demeanor should make it clear she’s not presidential.
May I join you in that hope?
there was no face lift.
No coke bottle black rimmed glasses helps.
I cannot argue with you. They both appear to be Teflon.
In Watergate, Republicans on the Committee asked the most difficult questions of Nixon, and one of those revealed the secret taping system that incriminated him. That would never happen when Democrats question a Democrat . They lie for each other no matter how outrageous the result. There are no Democrat statesmen who put the truth before party.
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/10/20/on-benghazi-intelligence-briefing-speaker-john-boehner-i-dont-recall-important-video/#more-107445
It’s a big site-—
the function of the GOP is to PROTECT democrats from any actual consequences and FOOL people like you into thinking that they are on your side and doing things on your behalf, when in fact they are actually screwing you all day long, every single day.
Sad commentary, even sadder is the fact that it is most likely absolutely true.
I definitely think it’s true.
In fact, I really prefer to look at it this way.
The Democrats are vampires, and the Republicans are their familiars, and the purpose of familiars is to take care of business while the sun is up.
And the sun is up when American voters are really mad.
This is exactly how American politics work.
The voters get furious with the commiecrats, toss ‘em out, install republicans, and the republicans carry out the government agenda while pretending to hold democrats accountable by “grilling them”, whatever that means.
In the end, Americans are fooled into thinking that the have a choice, but in reality, the government agenda advances unabated.
Ohioan, yes he is an articulate defender of fiscal conservatism. The issue is he is naive at best or two faced at worst when transforming articulate to actions. I am hard pressed to see an example of actions which have met his articulate verbal defenses of fiscal conservatism.
In the end, Americans are fooled into thinking that the have a choice, but in reality, the government agenda advances unabated.
If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it."
Mark Twain -
I watched earlier this afternoon
Boy, is that the frightening truth!
It is!
Thanks.
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