Posted on 05/10/2013 11:04:45 AM PDT by neverdem
Today's blockbuster ABC News report about White House and State Dept. involvement in revising the CIA’s Benghazi talking points has provided Republicans with new talking points in their effort to discredit former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. But Jonathan Karl, the ABC News White House correspondent who landed the scoop, says not so fast.
The emails obtained by Karl show that State Dept. spokesman Victoria Nuland raised objections to a paragraph in the talking points mentioning threats from extremists linked to Al Qaeda. When a round of revisions did not satisfy her concerns, she wrote back: “These changes don’t resolve all of my issues or those of my building's leadership."
In that reference to the "building's leadership," some see a reference to Sec. Clinton. But Karl says that to date, no such evidence exists.
"There's no evidence that I've seen that Hillary Clinton was aware of what was going on, or in any way tried to direct what was in these talking points," Karl told POLITICO on Friday morning. "But that sentence is certainly open to interpretation, and you can guarantee it is going to seized on by Republicans for a long time, because ultimately the leadership of that building is Hillary Clinton."
Republicans have been fighting to keep the Benghazi story alive for months, and the right-wing blogosphere has made it their r'aison d'etre. Despite front page reports in the New York Times and scoops from reporters like Karl, conservatives accuse the mainstream media of failing to adequately investigate the story.
Those accusations are likely to subside this weekend in the wake of Karl's report (and that of The Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes), which comes on the heels of Wednesday's 'emotional' testimony from three State Dept. officials. Benghazi is now driving the news cycle and -- as my colleagues Glenn Thrush and Maggie Haberman pointed out on Thursday -- Hillary Clinton is once again fair-game for critics.
The Sunday shows will be almost entirely dedicated to the issue: ABC's "This Week," will feature interviews with Sens. John McCain and Jack Reed, and Gen. James Cartwright, retired Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will join the roundtable. CBS's "Face The Nation" will feature interviews with former Sec. of Defense Robert Gates and Sens. Dick Durbin and Kelly Ayotte. NBC's "Meet The Press" will have exclusive interviews with House Oversight Committee Chair Darrell Issa and Senate Intelligence Chair Dianne Feinstein.
But where the story goes after Sunday is anyone's guess.
"I have no idea how long this story will go on, but what is clear after this week is that there are still legitimate questions to be asked, and there's also going to be a political story regarding Hillary Clinton," Karl told POLITICO. "The story clearly has legs -- for how long, I just don't know."
-—”Of course not. Shes just a useful idiot. And a criminally negligent incompetent communist bitch, just like her idiot boss!”
Aw c’mon Jim, how about paying a little more due respect to her service with more complimentary terms like: Tyrant Marxist Feminazi?
I agree, they both were outstanding! I recall Jordan asking some great questions during the last ‘hearing’, and was so thankful to hear him ask even more great questions.
Lankford was very calm and determined.
The new congressman from CA, can’t recall his name, with the glasses and a kind of stumbling approach, had one of the BEST comments when he surmised how ‘odd’ it was to have the enemy guarding our men and women. Almost like a Columbo approach.
The leadership ? Taliban in the building?
Now Karl wants everyone to not believe his own reporting.
there actually are a number of them- soem run by Brent Bozel called MRC (media research center) But unfortunately the left just ignores it and the right in washington do too- so nothign ever happens to hte left
The fact that her pants suits are charred means nothing?
Yup, innocent people don't start out with "there is no evidence I did etc....", The unequivocally say "I did not do it".....
Totally agree.
Ultimate responsibility for all which ocurrs at State is that of Hillary Clinton.
And, as a result, there may come a time when she needs to get thrown under the bus. But I'm sure that Obama knows that Clintons don't take to that kind of treatment easily. There would be consequences, some perhaps known but certainly some that can only be guessed at.
The first stage of the bus treatment came yesterday. Stage 2 will be all the more interesting.
Pass the popcorn.
Credibility is the coin of the realm. Both the rats and the BS media are losing it.
Yup, ever since ‘no controling lega authority.’
Well she SHOULD HAVE BEEN aware and on the top of everything involving Benghazi, every I dotted and every T crossed. This is their excuse? She allowed an underling to be in charge of what the families and the citizens were told about the murder of four Americans, the destruction of an American embassy, a terrorist attack and multiple injuries? What a pathetic excuse, but then again when this is all you have........
I’m just surprised it took until this week with those career employees testifying for there to be a public uproar about what she said. If Republicans would keep hammering that line, she could never get elected, ever.
I knew the story being promoted by this administration was bogus from day one...she had to know. If she didn’t know about the revisions or what was going on- why didn’t she? It was her job!
“There’s no evidence that I’ve seen that Hillary Clinton was aware of what was going on, or in any way tried to direct ...”
Who hired Craig Livingston?
D. It’s Jello!
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