Posted on 10/15/2012 2:58:41 PM PDT by drewh
Congressman Darrell Issas investigation of the events surrounding the Benghazi attack which killed a U.S. Ambassador and three other Americans appears to be playing out like a rerun of the Fast and Furious investigation.
Issa, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, has been conducting a series of events into the attack after the administration issued contradictory statements about the attack, choosing for several days to insist the attack was because of a video that Muslims say mocks Muhammed.
Administration officials have attempted to place the blame for their statements about the film on intelligence agencies, saying they were the ones who provided the information that terrorism had nothing to do with the attack.
However, it was revealed that intelligence agencies had video footage the day of the attack indicating it clearly was a terrorist attack. Embassy officials also warned of security concerns in communications sent to Washington officials prior to the attack. Vice-President Joe Biden said the government was not aware of these security concerns.
Bidens statement came during the vice-presidential debate which was just a day after Congress heard testimony that embassy officials had in fact expressed their concerns to Washington.
As the investigation continues, it appears it could end up being like a bad rerun of the Fast and Furious investigation. Fast and Furious was a program begun by the Obama administration to allow illegal guns to be purchased in the U.S. by the Mexican drug cartels and cross the border into Mexico. There was no effort made to ensure the guns could be tracked once they left the country.
The guns have been used to cause the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry as well as several Mexican nationals. During the investigation, the Obama administration asserted executive privilege in an attempt to prevent Issas committee from obtaining the information it needed.
The obstructions resulted in Attorney General, Eric Holder, being found in contempt of Congress for not honoring a subpoena. During the hearings, Democrats criticized the investigation for being conducted saying it was politically motivated.
Appearing on Face the Nation Oct. 14, Issa said the hearing was not simply based on why the administration continued to say a video was responsible for the attack long after evidence to the contrary was revealed, but was why the Obama administration ignored security concerns.
Everybody who works throughout the Middle East is at risk if we cant get the security level right, Issa said.
Democrats have attempted to blame Republicans for the security lapses, saying they cut the security budget by $300 million. Biden mentioned this figure during last weeks debate.
However, Issa claims that there is a $2.2 billion discretionary fund available for the State Department to use for security if they needed it. He suggested the issue was not one of money, but of the administration wanting to avoid the appearance of security concerns in the country.
Issa went on to say this was Obamas Mission Accomplished moment, a reference to a banner placed by sailors on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln behind President George W. Bush when he gave a speech announcing victory in Iraq.
However, like the Fast and Furious investigations, Democrats are again saying the investigation is solely about politics.
Appearing after Issa, Rep. Elijah Cummings, who is a member of the Black Congressional Caucus and the leading Democrat on the committee, was asked if there was legitimate concerns to be addressed. Cummings said the FBI should be left alone to do the investigation and Congress should not be looking into the issue.
Cummings said Congress, rushed to a hearing and, This is not the way to do it. We have an FBI hearing going on. He went on to say Congress was only conducting the hearing to give Mitt Romney talking points to use during the campaign.
I was calling it Fast and Furious North Africa edition the first week.
Why was Bengazi security lax? Cuz the Americans were SUPPOSED to be kidnapped, then swapped for Blind Sheik Omar, who was the first thing the new MB Prez of Egypt asked for.
Barak loves the complex, secret, treacherous stuff.
What was the term he used? UNDER THE RADAR —his M.O.
I like it. I've been trying to think of a moniker for a couple of weeks myself. "East and Furious", maybe?
While Fast and Furious is absolutely terrible and should lead to hangings, Benghazi is by far much, much worse. If we ever know the truth that is. F&F was about trying to ban guns in the USA. Benghazi is TREASON on a major scale. I do not think DC (no matter who is in charge) will ever let the truth be known.
Suuuuure —12 op centers had live video of the attack for SIX HOURS, but the WH knew NOTHING, suuuure.
That sounds juuust like “ATF and Barak knew NOTHING about F&F”; 2 cops dead, a helicopter shot down with a .50 cal, a casino burned to the ground (with 17 innocent Mexicans piles up in the bathroom trying to get fresh air) but our leaders knew noooooooothing....
Suuuuure....
REALLY SOLID PATTERN, NOW.
This needs to be part and parcel of EVER Romney response to EVERY question tomorrow night:
1) Benghazi cover-up
2) Fast and Furious cover-up
3) Solyndra/green pork scandals
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Benghazi Becoming Rerun Of Fast and Furious
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A rerun? Actually this is a new and totally different scandal.
Benghazi is THE biggest White House scandal since Fast and Furious. Not even the many, many Clinton scandals, nor even Watergate compare with these two Obastard scandals.
Where are the Congressional Hearings? Where are the Special Prosecutors? Where is Woodward and Bernstein?
Hillary’s fault.
Remember that the CIA who was supposed to get control of the SAMS, chemical weapons and nuclear material during the fall of Gadafi failed to find them...and guess what... one of the SAMs was used to down the Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan that killed 38 of our best troops...
Fast & Furious was just a burp for this administration..can’t imagine a terrorist attack will amount to much more.
Hillary ran away to Peru when she realized that the coverup, whitewash and media blackout wasn't going as planned.
“Hillarys fault.”
You can bet your bippee she’s in the middle of it. The SCENARIO’s that are the basis of these actions be it Fast & Furious, or the lack of security in Benghazi stink of Hillary Clinton’s diabolical imagination.
I noticed an article today where Hillary does what Hillary does best when the heat is on, and that’s to pull a disappearing act. She’s on her way to Peru. She’ll lay low until something pops up to divert the heat off of her, then she’ll do her reinvention thing, come through the door like Loretta Young, and everything will be fine again. She does it everytime.
The State Department was running a school lunch program for the February 17th Martyr’s Brigade via $30 per day stipend. It wasn’t enough, should have given them Obama phones.
Think of Benghazi as Fast And Furious with SCUD missiles.
another massive foreign policy failure and scandal.
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