Democratic Presidential frontrunner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to spar this morning with Republican members of the House Select Committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
Washington observers and political junkies have been fixated on this testimony -- beginning at 10 a.m. -- for months, waiting in anticipation to see what impact it may have on her campaign.
The pressure is on Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy to produce results or information that differs from Clinton's full day of Congressional testimony on the attack nearly 3 years ago.
The lead-up to today's testimony has seen vicious political sniping from Democrats on the committee, who have seized on remarks in recent days from two Republican congressman and one former committee staffer, each of whom suggested publicly that the committee has disproportionately focused its attention on attacking Clinton.
The Hillary folks have said that this testimony is even more important than the last Democratic debate, and I would tend to agree with that.
If Hillary does well here this could effectively be the end of the Republican's ability to use Benghazi to damage her in the 2016 election, and it would essentially mean smooth sailing ahead for her nomination.
I am going to be working from home all day today so I will leave this as an open thread.
Here is my Twitter feed for those who are interested and here on IM I will be periodically updating as events unfold.
There is talk that this might last as long as six to eight hours, which means there will likely be a lot to talk today.
Update:
Hillary this morning at the House Select Committee on Benghazi. pic.twitter.com/ZxhcSJVAfI
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 22, 2015
Hillary started off strong.Update: "Psst. The Benghazi committee's only interested in taking down Hillary Clinton."
Update: Thank god this thing is not political.
SIGN and stand with Trey Gowdy as he uncovers the truth about Hillary Clinton’s actions as Secretary of State.
---> https://t.co/MiI4cSYD1f
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 22, 2015
During Trey Gowdy's opening remarks, largely trying to justify the existence of his committee, Hillary looks like a mother patiently listening while her child spins some yarn as to why he only has one shoe on his feet.
ReplyDeleteWell, Gowdy does sound like a complete moron when he talks.
DeleteTrey Gowdy = Howdy Doody.
DeleteMore like Mortimer Snerd.
DeleteOh good lord. Will he just stop with his self serving blather?
ReplyDeleteHad to crack open the Budweiser.......
ReplyDeleteRep. Cummings is throwing down a little truth up in here.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Elijah Cummings.
ReplyDeleteI can't watch it since I might be inclined to throw something at my TV.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know your own limitations.
I won't watch it either - will get all my information on the hearing right here! I'm sure watching the hearing would create even higher blood pressure than I already have!
DeleteI wish Hillary Clinton the best! Plus, don't forget that she has Cummings, a Democrat, sitting on that Committee that will help her as needed.
Hillary's opening remarks are measured and informative about the men who were lost that day in Benghazi.
ReplyDeleteHillary talks about all of the other attacks on embassies over the years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, where are THOSE investigations?
Good for her! Get it in the record.
DeleteTrey Gowdy just promised not to cut Hilary off while she is talking.
ReplyDeleteGee, what a guy.
Did she promise not to cut off his testicles?
DeleteHow long will it take for him to break that promise?
DeleteDrinking game?
I'm watching, but busy here at home. Only thing I can say is Clinton WILL be the next president.
ReplyDeleteElijah Cummings is my hero :D
Whats with the piles of props argument? Not only are we spending millions of taxpayer dollars, trees gotta die too.
ReplyDeletePrint on thicker paper- Get MOAR evidunce!
DeleteRep. Susan Brooks has two differing piles of e-mails and dammit that means something!
ReplyDeleteOr not.
Using the NEW! technology of PRINTING!!! the emails makes for better tv!
DeleteWhether or not they read them.
Hillary just said that most of her work involving Benghazi did NOT involve e-mail.
ReplyDeleteWell how is THAT supposed to help the Republicans destroy her?
Oh they'll find a way. It will be lame, but that won't stop them.
DeleteMildred
That's almost as bad as if she had said it involved email!
DeleteLOL. Just another nail in the Clown Car tires.
DeleteBy the way Rep. Cummings mentioned that there have been 8 investigations into Benghazi.
ReplyDeleteI think the Jack the Ripper mystery received less scrutiny.
Only at 8!! Well, they will go till they find her guilty, of course!
DeleteMildred
(thank you for watching Gryphen, I'm buffering myself from it by reading your updates)
GOP. The party of insanity.
Delete70,000 employees and she can't speak to what 2 employees discussed.
ReplyDeleteAt least Hillary does know who the father of her grandchild is.
DeleteRoby is ridiculous. What an amateur.
ReplyDeleteOh. Since he talks slow he wants only yes/no answers. Not gonna work there, Wes.
ReplyDeleteWhen will Sarah request a Congressional investigation to help her find out who the baby daddy is?
ReplyDeleteHoly crap! You have a one track mind.
DeleteUnlike the GOP, right 8:41am?
Delete8:07 AM
DeleteWho is Trig Palin's baby daddy? Who is Trig Palin's baby mama?
Who is Track Palins baby daddy?
DeleteJust got a chance to turn it on, and I can see by tone of Westmoreland, that this is just one big drama/witch hunt.
ReplyDeleteHillary just shut Mike Pompeo right the hell down!
ReplyDeleteAnd now they are playing video of Andrea Mitchell doing the same.
Wow. They are doing everything to try to catch Hillary in a web. The last questionner suggested a 'team' had met with Libyan officials to discuss security, and he couldn't 'name' him, which is rather shaky. Hillary is standing her ground.
ReplyDeleteRep. Sanchez was a breath of fresh air.
ReplyDeleteIt's a god damned disgrace what the republicans are doing.
ReplyDeleteThe disgrace is that their party see no problem in what they are doing & believes what they are doing is right. Shame on the whole lot of them, from presidential candidates down to their supporters.
DeleteAngry young man is angry.
ReplyDeleteI'm in Hillary's corner on this! She's so damned sharp and good! Hope she kicks the committee on their asses!
ReplyDeleteRight now I feel sad and mad watching Ms. Sanchez speak to facts that have been conveniently dismissed to paint Clinton as negligent.
ReplyDeleteWhen I recall how Romney was on this unbelievably fast I would not be surprised if the Republicans orchestrated the attack to win the election in light of their persecution of Clinton.
Blaming Hillary as a way to distract from the real perpetrators? Not an unlikely scenario.
Delete"I am sorry this does not fit your narrative Congressman"
ReplyDeleteAdam Schiff doing a great job summing up round 1.
ReplyDeleteVery proud of Schiff here in Pasadena. One of the good guys.
DeleteWhy is Trey Gowdy yelling?
ReplyDeleteCould it be that he's getting his ass handed to him?
DeleteI'm sorry Jim Jordan is an Ohio congressman. He is an ass!
ReplyDeleteI am not a violent person, but these jackass Republicans...
ReplyDeleteOh! For a sack of tomatoes and a good throwing arm!
Perhaps we should hire a squad of cream pie-laden clowns to ambush these ogres.
M from MD
So whether or not Hillary asked Sydney Blumenthal for information or not, does that in some way make her responsible for Benghazi?
ReplyDeleteOH WOW. Fight! Fight! and Hillary laughing. lol
ReplyDeleteIt was so very satisfying to see Hillary smile while Elijah Cummings put the hurt on Trey Gowdy.
DeleteI was wondering if Gowdy was going to explode and lose it all right on TV. Probably good for him that it was break time.
Is that between Gowdy and Cummings?
DeleteThey should be on Jerry Springer.
Trey Gowdy is starting to froth at the mouth.
ReplyDeleteElijah Cummings is slapping the snot out of him right now,
And Hillary is smiling.
Her poll numbers are so going up after this.
DeleteSo much for the GOP plan. Backfired.
Can you shoot yourself in the foot while it is in your mouth?
Atta boy, Cummings! Let him have it!!!@
ReplyDeleteWow.
ReplyDeleteThis has not damaged Hillary at all. Gowdy has melted down to a blathering fool, as he's called out for his inconsistency. Yes, release all the e-mails. He knows there's nothing to charge if the public see them all.
Trey looks sweaty and panicked; the countenance of a man without truth on his side.
DeleteAnd Hillary: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CR8AL_PVAAA4C_f.png
DeleteI said same thing to my husband while watching Gowdy cross examine her. He's sweating and slimy and red-faced and she is calm, cool, and collected. She is a better woman than me (as well she should be as presidential material). I'd be out of my seat with my hands around his throat before very much of his of BS.
DeleteHillary Clinton Is Trouncing House Republicans In Early Benghazi Testimony
ReplyDeleteHillary Clinton has been unflappable in dominating House Republicans during the early stages of her testimony in front of the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/22/hillary-clinton-trouncing-house-republicans-early-benghazi-testimony.html
72 Percent Of Americans Say Benghazi Investigation Is A Political Sham
A CNN/ORC poll released on October 22nd finds that 72 percent of Americans believe the House Select Committee on Benghazi is mostly using the Benghazi investigation to achieve political gain. Only 23 percent of Americans think that the committee is conducting an objective investigation to find out what happened during the Benghazi attack.
The poll of 1,028 adult Americans, conducted from October 14th to the 17th, found widespread agreement that the Benghazi investigation has been a partisan sham. Americans recognize that the investigation was primarily aimed at politically damaging Hillary Clinton, rather than conducted as an honest inquiry into what happened in the 2012 Benghazi attack.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/22/72-percent-of-americans-say-benghazi-investigation-is-a-political-sham.html
The Benghazi Committee's Out of Control Effort to Destroy Hillary Clinton at All Costs
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-brock/remarks-to-the-world-affa_b_8357048.html
Unpacking The Partisan Spin On Benghazi
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/benghazi-partisan_5628edc6e4b0ec0a389356f1
Okay so here we are at a break which I imagine will be used to hose Trey Gowdy off a little and reapply the hair gel to get his rooster ridge back in fighting shape.
ReplyDeleteSo far all we have learned is that Elijah Cummings is a bad ass, Sidney Blumenthal is enemy number one, and the only reason not to call this a farce is because of my deep and abiding love for a good farce.
Trey Gowdy's 'rooster ridge' I'm wiping the coffee off my screen now!
DeleteI would add that Hillary is calm, confident and winning hands down and that Adam Schiff has her back. Carry on!
Sheesh
The only thing that can top this is if Aaron Sorkin decided to write a movie about it.
DeleteHelen Mirren as Hillary?
". . . Elijah Cummings is a bad ass . . ."
DeleteAMEN!!!
Every time he opens his mouth, he kicks ass and takes names and the GOP members of the committee cower in fear of him.
Read this:The historical significance of this moment can hardly be overstated, and it seems many Republicans, Democrats and members of the media don’t fully understand the magnitude of what is taking place."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsweek.com/benghazi-biopsy-comprehensive-guide-one-americas-worst-political-outrages-385853
Yes, I read that article earlier this morning. It is fantastic.
DeleteHouse Democrat Annihilates Republican Clinton Benghazi Hearing With Facts
ReplyDeleteBenghazi Committee Member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) used his time to level Republicans with some facts about their Benghazi investigation.
Video:
Rep. Schiff said:
There are too many good prosecutors on this panel not to know that when a lawyer describes the metrics of the success of the investigation by the sheer number of people they talked to or the volume of documents and says nothing about the substance of what they’ve learned that there is a problem.
And the reality is that after seventeen months, we have nothing new to tell the families. We have nothing new to tell the American people.
….
Now my colleagues have been saying quite often this week that this is a fact-centric investigation, and I agree so I’d like to talk about some of the facts which are centric about this investigation. Because while the American people are entitled to truth about Benghazi, they are also entitled to the truth about our committee.
Fact. What gave rise to your appearance today was that many months ago a group called the Stop Hillary PAC, which aired an offensive ad during the Democratic debate showing the tombstone of Ambassador Stevens among other things, delivered 264,000 signatures demanding that you appear before us.
Fact. It was the next day the majority approached us to have you come before this committee.
Fact. After The New York Times issued its story in March, this committee canceled all other hearings except for the hearing with a witness named Clinton.
Fact. We abandoned our plans to bring in the Secretary of Defense and the head of the CIA.
Fact. We haven’t had a single hearing with the Department of Defense in seventeen months.
Fact. Of the 70,000 pages of documents obtained by the committee, the only documents the Chairman has chosen to release publicly are your emails with Sidney Blumenthal.
Fact. Of the 32 press releases that have been issued since March of this year, 27 of them are about you or the State Department and 5 are about everything else.
Fact. As recently as last week, the Chairman issued a 13-page letter which alleges that you risked the lives of people by sending an email that contained the name of a classified CIA source.
Fact. CIA told us there was nothing in that email was classified nor was the name of that person who’s well known to many.
Rep. Schiff summed up why this whole Select Committee is a sham, and added that it is unlikely that the Republicans will consult with Democrats on the final report. He said that the actions of the Committee were most damning of all because they focused on Hillary Clinton.
Chairman Trey Gowdy interrupted Schiff to throw a tantrum by claiming that he is out to get the facts, and no judgements have been made. Gowdy tried to hide behind the families of the Benghazi victims, but he provided no answers to Rep. Schiff’s claims.
The Benghazi Select Committee has no credibility. Rep. Schiff turned the Republican talking point about facts around and used it against the GOP to prove that the hearing is an empty partisan fishing expedition that is designed to harm Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-benghazi-hearing-stakes-high_5628d6ece4b0ec0a389342d9?cc4vlsor
Trey Gowdy is yelling again.
ReplyDeleteThe Trey Gowdy III family tree must only have one branch.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/whiskey-five-hotel-6-biggest-145346607.html
ReplyDeletecalling out the bullshit!
They are really gonna ride this Sidney Blumenthal pony? It matters how? that someone does or does not have her home address.
ReplyDeleteReally wish we had a "like" button for some of these comments!
ReplyDeleteI love when Gryphen does the live blog! Thanks, G!
DeleteI never get to watch these things.
As Sarah Palin hides behind anything she can find, Hillary is fearless and AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteTrey 'Draco' Gowdy is sweating like a pig. He has good reason to; Madame Secretary is handing his ass to him.
ReplyDeleteSheesh
She's just the middle man.
DeleteHe's pretty much handing his own ass to himself.
Thanks for the reference to Draco...I was wondering who Gowdy reminded me of!
DeleteThey had 30 minute break and Draco comes back with sweat dripping down his face. Someone give that boy a powder puff at the next break! It's getting distracting!
DeleteSheesh
The Huffington Post headline is Clinton VS The Clowns.
ReplyDeleteBwa ha ha!
The GOP needs to stop. They are embarrassing themselves.
ReplyDeleteRound two is over.
ReplyDeleteBy my count Hillary is winning on points, though to be fair some of the most vicious blows absorbed by the Republicans have been self inflicted.
Hillary should thank the GOP for today's hearing -- the "hearing" was a day-long advertisement for why she should be President and why Republicans should be slinging fries at McDonald's.
ReplyDeleteRep. Schiff DESTROYS Republicans With FACTS; Exposes Fraudulent Benghazi Schemers (VIDEO)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/22/rep-schiff-destroys-republicans-with-facts-exposes-fraudulent-benghazi-schemers-video/
Hillary SCHOOLS Disrespectful Republicans During Benghazi Shenanigans (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/22/hillary-schools-disrespectful-republicans-during-benghazi-shenanigans-video/
Rep. Elijah Cummings CRUSHES GOP’s ‘Baseless Accusations’ In Clinton Benghazi Hearing (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/22/rep-elijah-cummings-crushes-gops-baseless-accusations-in-clinton-benghazi-hearing-video/
Elizabeth Warren on Hillary Clinton
ReplyDeleteVery interesting contrast between how progressive Hillary was as First Lady, and how corporate she became as senator on same issues
https://vimeo.com/105062617
Westmoreland....landing the %#&** plane and ask your question!
ReplyDeleteSheesh
Adam Schiff FTW again!
ReplyDeleteQuick!....somebody grab the kitchen sink and toss it in 'cause nothing else is working.
ReplyDeleteSheesh
If Hillary only knew that Rue-21 clothes (see-thru cargo pants and shoulderless blouses) are so much more credible than a Channel suit, maybe this would have ended after the first hearing.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the camo wedgies would have just silled the dill!
DeleteDon't forget the peep toe camo fuck-me pumps.
DeleteCouple of balloons for boobs too. She needs to say TOO ALSO to get the folksy talk going.
ReplyDeleteTrey Gowdy destroys his own hearing: The Benghazi committee chairman goes completely off the rails
ReplyDeleteThe "serious investigation" into Benghazi turned into a loud, stupid argument
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/22/trey_gowdy_destroys_his_own_hearing_the_benghazi_committee_chairman_goes_completely_off_the_rails/
This is why you don’t mess with Hillary Clinton: How the GOP’s Benghazi crusade just crashed and burned
If you're trying to score a political win against an opponent as formidable as Hillary, here's what *not* to do
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/22/this_is_why_you_dont_mess_with_hillary_clinton_how_the_gops_benghazi_crusade_just_crashed_and_burned/
The best jokes and comments are coming by way of Pompeo's questions, i.e. Did he have your cell number, did he have your home address?
ReplyDeleteWere you BFFs? Were you Facebook Friends? Do you like Blumenthal more?
I'm a bit late to the discussion, though it's still going on. This is a win win for Hillary. Try as they may, they can't get her to get all emotional nor feed into their lies, at one point, she was laughing while a few in the gang of idiots went at each other.
ReplyDeleteElijiah Cummings is a god! Every Democrat's called the gop out on their attempt to make it look like she doesn't/didn't care.
She's calm, cool as a cucumber, knows her stuff, and comes off very presidential.
Would love to see Donald Trump demand equal time in front of a committee of Democrats. Anyone using this for political purposes is a scumbag.
Well, its finally over. What an amazing woman she is. And what a bunch of sniveling, nasty vermin the baggers were.
ReplyDelete