Benghazi Committee Distances Itself From McCarthy’s Remark

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questions witnesses as the House Select Committee on Benghazi holds its first public hearing to investigate the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob kill... Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questions witnesses as the House Select Committee on Benghazi holds its first public hearing to investigate the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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After Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday touted the Select Committee on Benghazi’s success in politically hurting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Republican members of the Benghazi panel tried to distance themselves from his comment.

“The focus of the Benghazi committee is to get to the truth. Trey has been clear about that, we’ve all been clear about that,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) told the Associated Press in an interview published on Wednesday.

When asked about McCarthy’s comments specifically, Jordan (pictured above) told the AP, “You can ask Kevin about that.”

“I know what our focus is. I know what I’ve been working on,” he continued. “I know my line of questioning I’ve been working on for Secretary Clinton, and they’re about Benghazi.”

A spokesman for the Benghazi committee, Jamal Ware, told the AP that the panel is committed to the “facts.”

“People view the Benghazi Committee through whatever lens or spin they choose, meanwhile, the Benghazi Committee is focused on, and our work is driven by, the facts,” Ware said.

McCarthy’s office also tried to do damage control on Wednesday.

“These inquiries have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the consequences of what the former secretary has done and her confusing, conflicting and demonstrably false responses,” Matt Sparks, a spokesman for McCarthy, told CNN about the Select Committee on Benghazi.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) told CNN that McCarthy’s comments were a “slip up” and said that the panel’s work has not been political.

“That is not true at the committee, and (McCarthy) knows that’s not true at the committee. Chairman Gowdy has been clear this is not about politics,” he said.

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Notable Replies

  1. Chairman Gowdy has been clear this is not about politics

    Utter bullshit.

  2. Well, “clear” is another of those words that sound like a word in the English language but actually mean something totally different in “Republican.” In this context, “clear” means “I’ve shamelessly rattled out our transparent pretext with a straight face with near-perfect consistency…”

  3. Avatar for mantan mantan says:

    OMG! The Benghazi Committee’s on fire!! It’s being attacked by leftists!!! Can we get Special Forces in here to protect the Chairman? Don’t let us die, Hillary!

  4. Too late. That shit has left the dog. You can’t put it back in.

  5. Humpty Dumpty has fallen and he can’t get up, toothpaste is out of the tube, the spilled milk has already soaked into the ground, and that cat will fuck your shit up if you try to put her back in that bag.

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