Former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch gave a moving defense of State Department officials in her impeachment testimony Friday, notably citing the 2012 Benghazi attacks that Republicans made so much hay of when in the House majority.
“And we are Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Patrick Smith, Ty Woods, and Glen Doherty—people rightly called heroes for their ultimate sacrifice to this nation’s foreign policy interests in Libya, eight years ago,” she said.
Though she only briefly mentioned the fatal attack, the line was pointed. The Benghazi hearings, which Republicans used to pummel then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for years, have become a catch-all example of serious foreign policy events twisted into political theater.
The chairman of the select committee, Trey Gowdy (R-SC), spent $7 million and two years on an investigation of the attack that had already been probed by nine other committees. The ultimate 800-page tome of a report failed to find direct blame with Clinton herself and revealed little new information in general. Then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) candidly linked the Benghazi hearings to Clinton’s sinking poll numbers, as she was the then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
The subtle swipe may have resonated particularly with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the only Republican member of the current Intel Committee who sat on the Benghazi committee.
During her remarks, Yovanovitch also cited the diplomats held hostage in Tehran 40 years ago and the mysterious sonar attacks that injured state department officials in Cuba and China.
“We are people who repeatedly uproot our lives, who risk—and sometimes give—our lives for this country,” she said.
I think there’s a nonzero chance that since she didn’t specifically say “Benghazi” the significance of that statement went over the head of Jordan and other Republicans.
I don’t think Trump gives a crap about whether Mike Pompeo can effectively do his job, but I think there’s a solid chance Trump turns on Pompeo because talking heads on TV are calling him a weak coward.
I am watching the Republican Congress Critters sign on the dotted line everyday of these hearings that they are just dandy with the crazy&corrupt™ escapades of Benadick Donnie two scoops.
And, Devin Nunes had enough after the first day, he was already complaining about the “Democratic Spectacle” (formally called impeachment hearings) at the start.
Well, this will not get better. There is more testimony from Yovanovitch and others. The GOP crazy is going to conflict with every person that instead had to deal with the real world, not some comfortable seat in congress.
Once again, we see a woman, a career diplomat whose reputation was attacked and whose career was destroyed, finding her strength and leading the country in confronting the monstrous illegality at the head of our government.
Yep. It’s time for the 4th Estate to step up and do their jobs. One side of this fiasco is abetting crimes and the taking down of a lawful society, in broad daylight. If the current crop of lightweights are too frightened for their jobs to say what we’re all seeing with our own eyes, then bring Brokaw and a few of the semi-retired old guard out of the attic and let them say it: the GOP is actively betraying the the professionals who have dedicated their lives to this country. The GOP is destroying any semblance of decency and rule of law. The GOP is the fucking enemy!