Democrats on Benghazi Committee Release Devastating Fact Sheet on Gowdy

[ashling]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/07/1428627/-Democrats-on-Benghazi-Committee-Release-Devastating-Fact-Sheet-on-Gowdy?detail=facebook


http://democrats.benghazi.house.gov/news/press-releases/democrats-release-new-video-and-fact-sheet-couldn-t-be-more-plain

FACT SHEET:

How the Benghazi Committee Targeted Hillary Clinton

Gowdy Cancelled All Planned Hearings Other Than Hillary Clinton’s After NYT Email Story

Before the New York Times broke its story on March 2 about Hillary’s Clinton’s emails, Gowdy had sent to Committee Members an investigative plan that set out monthly hearings with all the different agencies involved in preparing for and responding to the attacks in Benghazi, including the State Department, the Defense Department, and the Intelligence Community.
After the New York Times’ email story broke on March 2, however, Gowdy completely abandoned this plan and began focusing almost exclusively on Hillary Clinton.
Since then, Gowdy has not held any of the hearings on his schedule, and his upcoming hearing with Hillary Clinton is the only hearing now scheduled.
For example, Gowdy abandoned the hearing he had planned for April with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary Leon Panetta.
The Committee has never held even one public hearing with anyone from the Department of Defense. The Committee has held only one hearing with an intelligence official, but it was with the CIA’s head of Legislative Affairs regarding the status of document production.
Gowdy Dropped Key Interviews with Top Defense and Intelligence Leaders

Gowdy also abandoned plans he had made in February to start conducting interviews of the following top defense and intelligence leaders in April: former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former CIA Director David Petraeus, General Martin Dempsey, and former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Matt Olsen.
He never invited any of these defense or intelligence leaders for interviews.
Gowdy then announced that he planned to start conducting the following interviews in June: former Defense Secretary Panetta, General Martin Dempsey, and General Carter Ham.
Those interviews were also abandoned.
Gowdy Scheduled New Interviews and Depositions of Hillary Clinton’s Associates

By the end of this month, Republicans will have interviewed or deposed 8 current or former Clinton campaign staffers, compared to only a total of four Defense Department officials.
Gowdy sent armed Marshals to serve a deposition subpoena on longtime Clinton associate Sidney Blumenthal despite the fact that he was completely cooperative and would have voluntarily appeared without a subpoena, but was never asked.
Gowdy later admitted that he “never expected Witness Blumenthal to be able to answer questions about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya.”
The Select Committee asked Blumenthal more than 160 questions about his relationship and communications with Clinton, but fewer than 20 questions about the Benghazi attacks; more than 50 questions about the Clinton Foundation, but only 4 about security in Benghazi; and more than 45 questions about David Brock, Media Matters and affiliated entities, but no questions at all about Ambassador Stevens or other personnel in Benghazi.
Gowdy Stepped Up Aggressive Press Campaign Against Hillary Clinton

Since March, Gowdy’s press releases have focused almost entirely on Secretary Clinton.
Over the past nine months, he has issued 22 press releases related to Secretary Clinton (including one on Sidney Blumenthal’s emails with Clinton), but only 5 press releases on any other topic during that period.
Of the 5 non-Clinton press releases, three (1, 2, 3) are about the State Department’s compliance with document production, one marks the anniversary of 9/11, and one is Gowdy’s interim progress report.
The only documents Gowdy has publicly released over the past 17 months were Clinton’s emails with Sidney Blumenthal, and Gowdy did this unilaterally with no debate or vote by the Select Committee.
At the same time, he has blocked the public release of Blumenthal’s deposition transcript, which would reveal all the questions Republicans asked about Hillary Clinton and other issues that have nothing to do with Benghazi.
Almost immediately after the interview with Cheryl Mills, Republicans began leaking inaccurate information to damage Clinton with unsubstantiated or previously debunked allegations, while refusing to release the complete transcript.
Gowdy refused to investigate or condemn a leak that made more unsubstantiated allegations against Clinton despite the fact that Politico was forced to correct a front-page story that relied on apparently doctored information about an email produced to the Select Committee.
Gowdy’s Taxpayer-Funded Political Campaign Against Clinton

The Committee was given an unlimited, taxpayer-funded budget, and it has now spent more than $4.6 million in one of the longest and least productive investigations in congressional history—focused on Clinton.
The Committee is being used by Republican fundraisers to attack Clinton.
The Committee’s attacks were described by the conservative PAC America Rising as a taxpayer-funded political activity: “This has all occurred without a single cent of paid advertising taking place.”
Gowdy’s name, image, and position has been used to solicit political donations by Stop Hillary PAC, which describes itself as “created for one reason only—to ensure Hillary Clinton never becomes President of the United States.
Gowdy appeared at a GOP political event in June where local Rep. Chuck Fleischmann explained: “Whether you are Hillary Clinton or any other lefty out there, you better beware because Trey Gowdy is out there and he is going to get you.”
Gowdy reportedly does not plan to release his findings until “just months before the 2016 presidential election.”
Gowdy’s approach has been criticized even by conservative commentators: “Whatever the findings are in this investigation—it will forever be plagued by allegations of unfairness, and politics if this investigation is dragged into 2016. That would not be fair to the American people.”

[blm]

1. Time for RNC to reimburse taxpayers for the world's longest campaign stunt.

This needs to be our demand.

[JDPriestly]

11. So true. And we should point out to Republicans who worry about the budget deficit that this

kind of stunt costs money. It doesn't save it. All those subpoenas issued. The paper used. The time of legislators. The research teams (assuming it isn't entirely for show) and all the other expenses associated with hearings. What a waste. Typical Republican noise about well, very little.

I have lots of questions about our policies in the Middle East including under Obama and Clinton and specifically about Libty and Syria, Turkey, Iraq, etc., but the emphasis in these Benghazi and e-mail hearings is absolutely a waste of time and taxpayer money.

[mercuryblues]

29. not for show

The research teams (assuming it isn't entirely for show)

more likely they are the "unnamed sources close to the investigation" leaking 1/2 truths, taken out of context and outright lies being pushed.

[NewJeffCT]

19. maybe some taxpayer's organization

can file suit against Gowdy and the other members of the committee?

[blm]

23. Exactly!

.

[Ilsa]

21. Absolutely. This abuse of power and theft of tax dollars

for partisan politics. They've got NOTHING on Sec. Clinton and they know it. Good for her.

Thank goodness for Alan Grayson if he can get the ethics investigation going. It's time for Nancy Pelosi to learn how to fight, too.

[Punx]

25. Can we get our money back

For all the investigations during Bill Clinton's presidency? Plenty of $ wasted there.

My father in law who claimed to be a Republican said he would never vote for a republican again after the Ken Starr investigation. Thought it was a total waste of money.

[leftofcool]

2. Oh looky! Is that man curled up in the fetal position, Trey Gowdy?

Why yes, I believe it is.

[spanone]

4. witchhunt.....from day 1.

[B Calm]

10. Same thing with the e-mail bullshit.

[Doctor_J]

5. Nancy - Start some censure proceedings - stat

Push back, just a little, for once.

[ashling]

14. Etnics complaints filed against McCarthy and Gowdy

https://www.facebook.com/cnnpolitics/videos/993968853978281/?fref=nf

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Yup!

Gowdy=RNC=Roger Alies=Karl Rove=Talking points=Fox News,continuation of the Arkansas Project.

[workinclasszero]

7. This is the dirty HS republicans do

instead of govern and try to improve the lives of Americans.

They hate the government and are only there to destroy it.

My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.

Grover Norquist

[Gothmog]

8. Howdy Gowdy is a liar and a fraud

Howdy Gowdy is even more unethical than Issa

[gregcrawford]

9. Since when has the Republican Party...

... EVER been concerned with what "...would not be fair to the American people?" They invoke "The American People" only when it suits their malign purposes. They are more repulsive than what I scraped off my boot this morning.

Even after five decades of watching these malevolent liars defile this nation, I am still astounded that ANYONE can be malicious and stupid enough to believe, let alone vote for, a Republican. The shallow end of the gene pool is quite a crowded swamp.

[planetc]

12. It is now unclear whether the committee will survive long enough to internews Clinton. Excellent.

[Paladin]

13. Somebody stick a dull fork in Trey Gowdy---he's way past done.

And kudos to the committee Democrats for the release of this damning information.

[Blue Owl]

15. Call it Gowdy Duty

n/t

[ashling]

17. Gowdie's Doodie

[Blue Owl]

18. He must've had one of those BK Whoppers

Because he seems a little green...

[valerief]

16. Just think of all the post offices that haven't been renamed because of Benghazi

investigations. Cuz that's all Congress does. Well, that and repeal Obamacare.

[Historic NY]

20. Howdy Gowdy is a liar plain an simple....

[Darb]

22. This part should be its own thread, ferchrissakes:

And should be made into an advertisement as well.

[Laser102]

26. wow! This would make a great ad!

[B Calm]

24. Do republicans actually believe Hillary called the terrorists and said attack the embassy now?

. . .

[DetlefK]

27. Gowdy has promised, there will be 40 more witnesses AFTER Hillary's testimony on October 22nd.

Can't find the link.

[Mendocino]

28. Gowdy

Reminds me of the obnoxious blonde kid type from the teen and/or horror films, now older but never grown up.

[SpankMe]

30. More evidence...

...that Republicans are a bunch of stubborn motherfuckers who won't be happy until they have absolute control of all branches of federal and state government - all so they can impose a decidedly fascist agenda, including the criminalization of anyone who opposes them.

I continue to be amazed that anyone other than that bottom-feeding 30% or so takes them seriously and that they can still hold power in any federal body whatsoever.