Disgraced VA Secretary nominee Ronny Jackson, will NOT be returning to his old job as White House physician.

Courtesy of Politico:  

White House physician Ronny Jackson will not return to his role as the president’s personal physician, according to two senior administration officials, after a string of allegations caused the Navy rear admiral to withdraw his nomination last week to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sean Conley, a Navy officer who took over Jackson’s role as the president’s personal doctor last month, will continue in the role, the officials said. 

Jackson bowed out last week after Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released a document summarizing allegations by current and former colleagues that Jackson overprescribed pills, drank on the job and created a hostile work environment. Jackson has denied the allegations and has returned to work in the White House Medical Unit.

Now the White House claims that these accusations had no merit and Trump went after Senator Tester hard on Twitter. 

Allegations made by Senator Jon Tester against Admiral/Doctor Ron Jackson are proving false. The Secret Service is unable to confirm (in fact they deny) any of the phony Democrat charges which have absolutely devastated the wonderful Jackson family. Tester should resign. The.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018

....great people of Montana will not stand for this kind of slander when talking of a great human being. Admiral Jackson is the kind of man that those in Montana would most respect and admire, and now, for no reason whatsoever, his reputation has been shattered. Not fair, Tester!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018

Secret Service has just informed me that Senator Jon Tester’s statements on Admiral Jackson are not true. There were no such findings. A horrible thing that we in D.C. must live with, just like phony Russian Collusion. Tester should lose race in Montana. Very dishonest and sick!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018

Of course the question to ask is if these allegations are so unfounded, then why is Jackson not being reinstated as the White House doctor?

And that question should be followed up by one asking if there is no validity then why is Trey Gowdy suggesting an investigation by the House?

Courtesy of Politico: 

House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy on Sunday said some of the allegations against President Donald Trump’s ill-fated pick for secretary of Veterans Affairs should be investigated. 

Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the South Carolina Republican said, “I think some of those allegations do warrant being investigated,” referring to a series of allegations levied against the White House physician and now-withdrawn VA secretary nominee, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson.

Yeah, something still stinks about all of this.

Also keep in mind that Senator Tester was not making these allegations himself but rather passing on information delivered to him by White House and military members who had witnessed these incidents.

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that neither Ronny Jackson, nor the White House really want Congress to investigate these allegations.

Just a feeling I have.

Trey "Benghazi" Gowdy just admitted that "Congress has proven itself incapable of conducting serious investigations.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, who chaired the House Select Committee on Benghazi, on @FaceTheNation: "Congress has proven itself incapable of conducting serious investigations." pic.twitter.com/Jw5odiMPkV

— Axios (@axios) April 1, 2018

I was thinking this might have been an April Fool's joke, but it appears he was serious.

I really do not like agreeing with Trey Gowdy on ANYTHING, but he is not wrong here.

Congress has wasted millions and millions of taxpayer dollars investigating Right Wing conspiracies, like the supposed IRS anti-conservative practices, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, and of course Hillary's e-mails.

None of those panned out, and in most cases were determined to be ridiculous by most people before the investigation was even launched.

So yes, Congress should simply get out of the investigation game and turn their attention to something they do well.

Just as soon as we determine what that might be.

A day after House Republicans declare that the Russia investigation is over and Trump is exonerated, House Democrats say "Tut tut, not so fast."

Courtesy of CNBC: 

Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday they would keep investigating Russia and the 2016 U.S. election, despite a decision by Republicans on the panel to shut down the probe. 

"We are going to do our best to continue our work. There are individuals who want to cooperate with our committee and share information, and will continue to do so," said representative Adam Schiff, the committee's top Democrat. 

"We will be putting together a report that will set out for the country what evidence we have seen to date," he said.

The Democrats also released a 22-page status report on the investigation, listing lines of inquiry they feel should be pursued and more than 30 witnesses the committee has still not interviewed. 

They included Reince Priebus, a former Trump White House chief of staff, and former White House spokesman Sean Spicer, as well as Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer who participated in a June 2016 meeting with Trump's son Donald Jr. and other close Trump associates. 

Among the concerns in the status report were "credible allegations as to the use of Trump properties to launder money by Russian oligarchs, criminals, and regime cronies." 

It also questioned whether "candidate Trump's financial exposure via Deutsche Bank or other private loans constituted a point of leverage that Russia may have exploited and may still be using?" 

The report said the committee should request related documents and hear testimony from Deutsche Bank, "via subpoena if necessary," to evaluate such allegations.

I am not sure how much the Democrats on his committee can accomplish without support from the Republicans, but let's face it they never really had it to begin with.

However the findings of the Republicans that there was no credible evidence that the Russians had developed a preference for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton did not go down well even with some House Republicans.

Including Trey "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" Gowdy.

Courtesy of Politico:  

A top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee distanced himself Tuesday from one of the panel's most explosive findings in its Russia investigation — that the FBI, CIA and NSA overplayed their hand when they declared Russia preferred a Donald Trump victory in the 2016 election. 

Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina said that the evidence gathered by the committee clearly showed Russia's disdain for Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton, and was "motivated in whole or in part by a desire to harm her candidacy or undermine her Presidency had she prevailed."

I never really had any faith that this committee would find anything worthwhile anyhow, not with Trump lapdog Devin Nunes undermining the investigation. 

And I am not super stoked about the Senate investigation either. 

No the smart money is on Robert Mueller.

Mueller is laser focused on getting to the truth, and I have every confidence that he will do that very thing.

Believe it or not it may be retiring Congressman Trey Gowdy who put the final nail in the "secret memo" coffin.

When Trey Gowdy says Trump's vindication claim is garbage, Republicans are cooked. pic.twitter.com/zesgMvMKNN

— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 4, 2018

Courtesy of The Hill: 

CBS's Margaret Brennan pressed Gowdy on whether he believes the memo has "no impact on the Russia probe." 

"Not to me, it doesn't — and I was pretty integrally involved in the drafting of it," Gowdy, who recently announced he will not seek reelection, said. 

"There is a Russia investigation without a dossier. So to the extent the memo deals with the dossier and the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] process, the dossier has nothing to do with the meeting at Trump Tower. The dossier has nothing to do with an email sent by Cambridge Analytica." 

He added that the dossier has "nothing to do with George Papadopoulos's meeting in Great Britain." 

"It also doesn't have anything to do with obstruction of justice. So there's going to be a Russia probe, even without a dossier," he said.

And that my friends, is that. 

Also keep in mind that Gowdy was the one that Nunes sent to read the actual documentation behind those FISA applications.

He then brought his notes to Nunes and his staff, and that is where this memo originated.

So if Gowdy is stating emphatically that the memo has "no impact on the Russia probe" THAT is game over.

Trey "Benghazi" Gowdy calls it quits. Update!

Courtesy of NBC News:  

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who has been at the forefront of investigations into both Hillary Clinton and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, said Wednesday he would not run for re-election, adding his name to a growing list of Republican lawmakers stepping aside. 

In a lengthy statement, Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor, said he would be leaving politics for good to return to a career in the justice system. 

"There is a time to come and a time to go. This is the right time, for me, to leave politics and return to the justice system," wrote Gowdy, who was first elected in 2010. 

"I will not be filing for re-election to Congress nor seeking any other political or elected office; instead I will be returning to the justice system," he added. "Whatever skills I may have are better utilized in a courtroom than in Congress, and I enjoy our justice system more than our political system."

Yeah, well if that skill set is supposed to include the ability to differentiate between fact and fiction, then I think Gowdy is poorly qualified to practice law in any capacity.

This decision seems to have been quite recent as Gowdy's team just sent out a fundraising email for his 2018 campaign. Kind of makes you wonder what happened, doesn't it?

Trey Gowdy, along with Darrell Issa, were among the idiots that promoted exaggerated misinformation about the Benghazi attack, and then used that to attack both President Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Trey Gowdy has not an ethical bone in his body and should be treated as a pariah from this day forward.

Of course I guess he could go back to playing he banjo.

As for Democratic hopes moving forward, well as the great Freddie Mercury used to sing:

"Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust, yeah
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust"

Update: The Daily show weighs in.

In honor of his retirement, it's The Trey Gowdy Hairstyle Guide! Our personal fave is #8, "The Benghazi Blowout." What's yours? pic.twitter.com/4LaY2EuVJF

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 31, 2018

One of the strangest heads of hair in Congress.

The Republican's "Secret Society" conspiracy theory falls apart in hilarious fashion.

Courtesy of the Inquisitr:  

On Tuesday, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) appeared on Fox News to declare that a text message he had seen between fired FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page was a smoking gun that proved there was a “secret society” within the Federal Bureau of Investigation dedicated to bringing down President Donald Trump. By Thursday, however, when the text had been revealed by ABC News to appear to be harmless banter between the pair, Johnson was forced to admit to the “real possibility” that the text was a joke. 

Naturally, Twitter pundits were very happy to pounce on the news, heaping scorn on Johnson and the other Republican congressmen pushing the “secret society” conspiracy. 

This latest controversy actually began several months back when the Robert Mueller investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and members of the Trump administration to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election announced that agent Peter Strzok was being fired after it was discovered that he had sent text messages insulting to the president. Republican members of both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, who are also investigating the Trump-Russia scandal, then asked to see the texts in question to determine if there was an anti-Trump bias in the FBI. The FBI released some texts to the committees but announced that texts from a five-month period were “lost.” According to a report from CNN, this alarmed Republican members of the House Committee, such as Trey Gowdy (R-SC) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who were proponents of the theory that there was a “deep state” coup being attempted by members of the intelligence services to unseat President Trump. The FBI has said that the texts were “lost” due to a “glitch” in the system. 

Donald Trump himself commented on the missing emails, tweeting it was “one of the biggest stories in a long time.”

Of course Trey "Benghazi" Gowdy and Fox News also took the bait:

Investigative journalist Sara Carter joined "Fox & Friends" Tuesday morning to react to newly revealed text messages exchanged between top FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and senior FBI lawyer Lisa Page, with whom Strzok was having an extramarital affair. 

According to Reps. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), who saw the messages, Strzok makes reference to a "secret society" of anti-Trump agents within the Department of Justice and the FBI who had their first meeting the day after Trump won the election in November 2016.

Can you say "smoking gun?"

Well don't say it yet, because as it turns out this is all based on a joke.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

One text that Page sent Strzok early on the morning of Nov. 9, 2016, has dominated the conservative media world this week, serving as a springboard for a Republican conspiracy theory suggesting that the nation’s premier law enforcement organization was plotting a coup against Trump within hours of his stunning victory. 

“Are you even going to give out your calendars? Seems kind of depressing,” Page, a FBI lawyer, wrote in the text to Strzok from her FBI-issued phone. “Maybe it should just be the first meeting of the secret society.” 

Republican lawmakers seized upon the “secret society” reference this week, claiming to see sinister motives, and it started popping up all over cable news chyrons. But, in fact, it was almost certainly a joke, a bit of gallows humor after an election that featured Russian interference. 

So what was that “calendars” reference all about? Out of context, it’s a bit confusing. But the backstory is actually kind of funny. The New York Times first reported that the “calendars,” which the Times said had a “Russia theme,” were a gag gift for those working on the early Russia probe. 

A source familiar with the text messages filled HuffPost in on the details. It turns out that, as a joke, Strzok had purchased calendars featuring “beefcake” photos of Vladimir Putin doing manly, tough-guy things like riding a horse.

Yeah, so that happened.

I have to say at this point I do not know how anybody takes Fox News or the Republican party seriously anymore.

Rep. Elijah Cummings has evidence that Michael Flynn told a friend that one of the Trump Administration's first tasks would be to "rip up" the Russians sanctions. Update!

CUMMINGS in letter to Trey Gowdy: Michael Flynn told a business associate Russia sanctions would be "ripped up" as one of administration's first acts, according to a whistleblower. Full letter: https://t.co/DuVxH4tVpW

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) December 6, 2017

Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun:

President Donald J. Trump’s former national security adviser told a business associate that U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia would be “ripped up” by the new administration, according to a whistleblower account made public Wednesday in a letter written by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings. 

Michael T. Flynn, who pleaded guilty last week to lying to the FBI, was communicating with former business associates “within minutes” of Trump’s inauguration, according to the letter — reassuring them Russian investments would soon be available as the Trump administration lifted sanctions. 

The allegation — which suggests the Trump administration was eager to lift sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama and that Flynn may have blurred his public and private roles during his brief run at the White House — was outlined in a letter Cummings sent to Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Republican chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 

“I do not bring this whistleblower to your attention lightly,” Cummings, the Baltimore lawmaker and top Democrat on the committee wrote in the letter. 

“I have attempted to advance this investigation without exposing individuals to personal or professional risk. But the exceptionally troubling allegations in this case — combined with ongoing obstruction from the White House and others — have made this step necessary.”

D-damn! If this holds up it is proof positive that Flynn was trying to satisfy Putin's desire to get rid of those Russian sanctions, on day one!

You can read Cummings' letter here.

I imagine that Cummings has not only notified Gowdy but also Robert Mueller as well.

This just gets more interesting every single day.

Update: Trey "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" Gowdy has responded to the letter by Rep. Cummings.

While Democrats may want every Committee of Congress to investigate the same fact patterns, it isn’t a prudent use of resources – something they used to be mindful of. pic.twitter.com/LHkcP5jvIJ

— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) December 6, 2017

You know it's like hypocrisy is the drug of choice for Republicans and they are addicted to that sweet sweet high.

The Republican led House Judiciary and Oversight committees have just announced the opening of a new investigation pertaining to Hillary Clinton's emails. No, I am not kidding.

Do you seriously have nothing better to do with your time?

Courtesy of The Hill: 

The chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees announced on Tuesday a joint investigation into how the FBI handled last year's investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. 

"Decisions made by the Department of Justice in 2016 have led to a host of outstanding questions that must be answered," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said in a joint statement. 

The two Republican leaders said they have questions about the FBI's decision to openly declare the bureau's investigation into Clinton's handling of classified information, while quietly investigating Trump campaign associates. 

They are also interested to know why the FBI decided to formally notify Congress of the probe on two separate occasions; why the FBI — rather than the Justice Department — recommended that Clinton not be charged after the investigation concluded; and the reasoning behind their timeline for announcing such decisions. 

"The Committees will review these decisions and others to better understand the reasoning behind how certain conclusions were drawn. Congress has a constitutional duty to preserve the integrity of our justice system by ensuring transparency and accountability of actions taken," their statement continued.

Congress has a constitutional responsibility to make sure that taxpayer money is spent on important investigations that safeguard or benefit the American people.

These do nothing of the sort.

While those two probes are going on Devin Nunes of the House Intelligence Committee is also launching his own investigation:

The embattled chairman of the House Intelligence Committee announced on Tuesday that he has opened an investigation into a deal struck between the US and a predominantly Russia-owned uranium company based in Canada, Uranium One, while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. 

Devin Nunes' announcement came one week after The Hill published a report on a "racketeering scheme ... designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton's charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow." 

The New York Times reported in 2015 that "as the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation." The Times' reporting built off of "Clinton Cash," a book by conservative author Peter Schweizer that the Clintons dismissed as partisan conspiracy-mongering.

So instead of investigating the actual and dangerous attempts by Russia to undermine our democracy, or the very real possibility that they were successfully in doing that while aided by members of the Trump campaign, THIS is how the Republicans in Congress believe their time is best spent.

I think this tweet more or less sums up my feelings on this.

Goddamnit, if we're getting a bunch of Clinton probes, can she at least be president? https://t.co/5OYqc13NxR

— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) October 24, 2017

Seems fair.

If you want to know more about what triggered this "new" investigation by Nunes, Politifact has an excellent summation.

Spoiler alert: It's essentially another nothing burger.

Trey Gowdy served as unofficial lawyer for Jared Kushner during closed door questioning about possible collusion with Russia.

Courtesy of Bloomberg:

Republican Trey Gowdy acted behind closed doors like a lawyer for President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, during questioning Tuesday by the House Intelligence Committee, said the top Democrat on the panel. 

"Mr. Gowdy took the role as a second attorney for Mr. Kushner," Adam Schiff of California told reporters. 

Gowdy declined to comment Wednesday on Schiff’s remarks. But he said a day earlier that Democrats on the Intelligence panel, which is looking into potential connections between Russia and the Trump campaign, uncovered "zero" new or revelatory information in more than three hours of questioning. Gowdy of South Carolina said in an interview that Democrats "even ran out of questions."

Schiff said the information obtained in questioning Kushner left Democrats on the committee with "a number of things to follow up" but didn’t elaborate. Schiff said he and other Democrats also were hampered because they didn’t have a number of documents they had wanted to see prior to the interview. 

Later Gowdy responded to Schiff's accusation during an interview on CNN:  

“I think that’s Adam’s frustration that Jared Kushner didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear from a political ambitions standpoint. This investigation has been very good for the Adam Schiff for Senate campaign, but yesterday was not good for him.” 

He then slammed his Democratic colleagues. 

“What I was tired of, Erin, were the Democrats asking non-relevant questions,” he continued. “The Democrats ran out of good questions, but they didn’t run out of questions.”

I would like to remind everybody that Gowdy hounded Hillary Clinton for years over the Benghazi nothing burger, and continued asking the same questions repeatedly, in different ways, when he did not like the responses he received.

So for him to ding Adam Schiff on something like this is laughable on its face.

And by no means surprised to learn that Gowdy is running interference for the Trump Administration in this Russia probe.

He is a particularly pungent POS whose allegiance is to his party and those willing to pay for it.

So Trey "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" Gowdy may soon be in charge of the House Oversight Committee which is looking into Russia's interference with our last election.

Oh yeah, the glasses help.

Courtesy of Politico:

The Republican Steering Committee on Thursday backed Rep. Trey Gowdy to become the next chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 

The move — if confirmed by the full Republican Conference — would put the South Carolina Republican at the helm of a contentious probe into President Donald Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor, is known for chairing the House Benghazi investigation and has also been a leading member of the Intelligence Committee’s probe of Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. 

Gowdy would replace outgoing Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who will resign at the end of June.

As you may remember Gowdy was tenacious, and also incompetent, during his investigation into Benghazi. 

If he were to even demonstrate a fraction of that kind of aggression in investigating this Russia hacking thing I would predict that he would become a Donald Trump Twitter target.

However what are the chances of that really?

I doubt very seriously that Gowdy wants to do anything of substance which might undermine Trump's election night victory, and that will only change if it becomes clear that Trump is doomed and that political survival means standing against him rather than standing with him.

Susan Rice refuses to serve as a pinata for the Republicans anymore.

Courtesy of Politico: 

Former Obama administration National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Wednesday declined a request to testify next week before a Senate subcommittee, citing separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches and the fact that the invitation was not bipartisan. 

Rice’s decision to decline the invitation to testify on Russia’s election meddling came in a letter from her lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

The letter, first reported by CNN, notes that the invitation to testify came only from Graham and that Whitehouse “has informed us by letter that he did not agree to” the request, which Ruemmler calls “a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses.” 

“Moreover,” Ruemmler writes, “Chairman Graham's invitation was extended only after the hearing was noticed, less than two weeks before the hearing was scheduled to occur, and without consultation with Ambassador Rice, a professional courtesy that would customarily be extended to any witness.”

One can hardly blame Susan Rice for not wanting to subject herself to the kind of harassment by the Republicans that she has been subjected to for years now.

After all she is no longer a part of the Obama Administration, and has already concluded her public service.

Of course as you might imagine this has really disappointed the Republicans who were looking forward to getting a few more shots at one of their favorite targets.

Rep. Trey Gowdy is even threatening to subpoena Rice if she will not come willingly, while Trump took to Twitter to bitch about it publicly.

Susan Rice, the former National Security Advisor to President Obama, is refusing to testify before a Senate Subcommittee next week on.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2017

...allegations of unmasking Trump transition officials. Not good!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2017

Clearly the Republicans are going to attempt to obfuscate the evidence about Trump's collusion with the Russians by trying to make this all about the Obama Administration.

Can't blame Susan Rice for not wanting to help them do that. 

Did you hear? The Benghazi investigation is finally over.

Benghazi committee chairman Trey "Banjo Boy" Gowdy.

Courtesy of USA Today: 

The special congressional investigation into the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi is officially over now that the panel filed its final report the day before the House adjourned for the year. 

The Select Committee on Benghazi initially released its findings in June but remained in place for months afterward trying to declassify supporting documents like emails and interview transcripts for public release. 

The final report, not including dissenting views from committee Democrats, clocks in at more than 322,000 words. It was added to the official House record without fanfare on Dec. 7 by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., the panel’s chairman. 

The panel, which spent more than $7.8 million over two and a half years, disbanded at the end of the 114th Congress, before a new Congress begins in January.

This was of course the eighth investigation into the Benghazi attack and not one of them found anything significant.

So why did it take so long for this last committee to file its report?

Oh I think you know why.

Democrats contended all along that the committee was a political effort to taint Clinton, an allegation that got some traction when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News that because of the committee, "her numbers are dropping." 

The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said Monday that the final report was a “desperate rehash.” 

“Republicans voted on this partisan report five months ago, but delayed filing it and completing the committee until after the election,” Cummings said. “Republicans promised a process that was fair and bipartisan, but the American people got exactly the opposite.”

Yes it, just like the Russian hacks and the Comey letter, existed only to destroy Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the presidency.

Filing the report before the election would have only helped Hillary, and of course Trey Gowdy and his fellow witch hunters could not allow that, now could they?

The House Benghazi committee is preparing to release its report, a report which is going to be very disappointing to the Right Wing conspiracy crowd.

Trey Gowdy

Courtesy of the New York Times:

After running a congressional oversight committee like a Republican opposition research shop for more than two years, Representative Trey Gowdy appears to be gearing up for the finale. Democrats on the Select Committee on Benghazi expect that a final report will drop soon, just as Hillary Clinton appears poised to clinch the Democratic nomination. 

If things had gone his way, Mr. Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor, would have found a way to torpedo Mrs. Clinton’s presidential ambitions. After all, Republican lawmakers have admitted that this is precisely what they set out to do. 

But things have not gone well for Mr. Gowdy, who has run the investigation with the dexterity and grace of a blindfolded toddler swinging at a piñata. Having pored over reams of documents, grilled Mrs. Clinton in an 11-hour session in October and hauled in more than 100 people for interviews, the Republicans seem to have come up with nothing. 

So after spending 20 million dollars of taxpayer money, and running longer than the investigation into 9/11, this witch hunt ends with a whimper and not the bang the conservatives were praying for.

Gee, who saw that coming?

Oh yeah, everybody.

But don't worry, there is STILL the e-mail "scandal" and surely that will come up with something.

Right?

I have said it before, but it bears repeating, I am dying to see what Hillary Clinton does as President which has terrified the Right Wing for so many decades. 

Benghazi Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy admits that there was no way the military could have arrived in time to save Ambassador Stevens. Oops.

Courtesy of Salon: 

“Whether or not they [the military] could have gotten there in time – I don’t think there’s any issue with respect to that. They couldn’t,” Gowdy said. But, in an effort to justify his committee’s continued efforts, he argued that important context had been omitted from Chipman’s remarks. “The next question,” Gowdy explained, “is why could you [the military] not? Why were you not positioned to do it?” That’s the critical question, Gowdy insisted: why the military wasn’t prepared to respond to a Benghazi-like attack. 

Well, guess what? That question has been asked and answered already.

Salon then goes on to explain that previous investigations had already determined that there was inadequate security, and the President himself admitted this in 2014 and said that changes needed to be made to better protect our diplomats in the future.

It has also already been determined that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the Obama administration, military, or CIA concerning their response to the attacks in Benghazi.

By the way Secretary Clinton was part of the Obama administration at the time.

So if everybody has already been exonerated, and Gowdy himself admits that the military could not have arrived in time to save the day, what exactly is the point?

Well of course the point is the same one behind this ridiculous "Clinton Cash" movie, Donald Trump referring to her as "Crooked Hillary Clinton," and every other Right Wing attack on the internet.

It is to do damage to Hillary and hopefully prevent her from winning this next election.

And toward that end Donald Trump, the House Republicans, internet trolls, The Drudge Report, Fox News, and now the Bernie Sanders campaign are working as one.

Is it really any wonder that Hillary Clinton's favorability numbers are falling? 

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the political waters, Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi!

Courtesy of the Washington Post:

Is Trey Gowdy planning a July surprise? 

The chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi went to ground after he and his colleagues grilled Hillary Clinton in October. They haven’t had a single hearing since then (and had only three public hearings before that one), though they occasionally send news releases reminding the world that their 700-day-old investigation continues. 

But that is about to change. Gowdy, after blowing through several previous deadlines he set, has said to expect a final report “before summer,” and Republicans say they are drafting it now. In another indication that the rollout is approaching, Gowdy last month stopped giving Democrats transcripts of witness interviews. This move, ostensibly to prevent leaks, diminishes the minority’s ability respond to allegations contained in the majority report. 

Depending on how long the declassification review takes, the Benghazi report is on track to drop by mid-July, just before Congress recesses for the conventions and at a time when Republicans will be in need of a distraction from the Trump-Cruz standoff. If the review takes longer (they typically last from a few weeks to a several months), it could come out in September, in the campaign’s homestretch.

Of course this all but confirms what critics have long said about his "investigation" all along.

It is nothing but a witch hunt designed specifically to damage Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the presidency.

Do you know why there are no taxpayer resources wasted on investigating Bernie Sanders? Or for that matter any real money spent on anti-Sanders campaign ads? Because he is the GOP's wet dream for a Democratic candidate, and literally the only hope they have of winning this election.

Hillary Clinton flat terrifies the Republican party, and their donors, and that might be the best political endorsement that she could possibly hope to receive.

I challenge you to watch this and not want to kill this guy with your own two hands. Can't do it can you?

If you had told me that I would be pissed off at a guy for being disrespectful to Trey "Benghazi Witchhunt" Gowdy I would have laughed in your face.

But somehow this POS makes that happen.

And when he smirks, nods derisively, and acts like a dick to my man Elijah Cummigs, THAT deserves a Costco sized can of Whoop-ass in my opinion.

For those who are unfamiliar with the context. 

Former investigator files suit against House Benghazi chairman Trey Gowdy for defamation of character.

Courtesy of MSNBC:

A former investigator for the House Benghazi Committee filed a federal lawsuit against the committee Monday, opening a new chapter in legal skirmishes over the Benghazi attacks and subsequent investigations. 

Last month, Brad Podliska, an Air Force Reserve major, alleged the Benghazi committee terminated him based on his military obligations and his refusal to advance an agenda targeting Hillary Clinton. Now, Podliska is detailing those charges in court in a new filing that alleges Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy broke the law by defaming him in their public battle over Podliska’s firing. 

Gowdy previously said Podliska was terminated partly for mishandling classified information. 

The suit cites Gowdy’s claim from a press release and an interview with NBC News, and argues it was a damaging line of attack, since allegations of such a “serious crime” have “ended the careers of many professionals in national security-related industries.”

As many of you no doubt remember Podliska claimed he was fired because: 

“The Committee’s investigation had changed to focus on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the State Department,” the complaint states, “and deemphasize the other agencies that were involved in the Benghazi attacks,” which was Podliska’s initial assignment. He found staff leadership viewed him as “naïve” for taking an “objective, professional” approach to the investigation, the complaint states, when the predetermined goal was actually to “target” Sec. Clinton. Podliska argues that agenda contributed to his firing.

Well this is certainly not going to help the Benghazi committee shake its reputation as a tool for a partisan witch hunt against Hillary.

Bummer.

I still think Jimmy Carter could kick Donald Trump's ass in a street fight.

Source

And don't forget Hillary sat through an eleven hour Benghazi hearing without breaking a sweat.

Even when her voice started to crack she refused to stop slapping the Benghazi out of Trey Gowdy, and his crew of pinheads.

Hillary Clinton's appearance between this latest House Benghazi Committee is about to begin. Get your popcorn ready folks. Update!

Courtesy of ABC News:  

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

"Look at us making fools of ourselves while attempting to smear Hillary Clinton. And then give us money!"

James Carville calls out both Trey Gowdy and the Benghazi Committee as creations of the Koch brothers.

Carville: "I got an idea for somebody in the media. Why don't you see if this is true, that Trey Gowdy is a creation of the Koch brothers, and the whole crime of denial industry. And this committee is nothing but a creation of Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brother. You know Fox ran over one thousand segments in twenty months after this thing."

I think we all know that Carville is big supporter of the Clintons, and just about as partisan as they come.

However he just issued a challenge to the media to prove him wrong, let's see if they take him up on it.

I think we all suspect what they will find.

In other news top Democrats are now calling for Republicans to reimburse the tax payer money that they wasted on this most recent "investigation."

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Top Senate Democrats want to shut down the House Benghazi committee amid allegations it seeks to attack Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. And they want Republicans to reimburse taxpayers for the committee's more than $4.5 million cost. 

The senators, including Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), accused the GOP Wednesday of "operating a political opposition machine against Secretary Clinton," and called the House Select Committee on Benghazi's use of taxpayer funds "wholly inappropriate." 

"Over the past several weeks, several House Republicans have made clear what many observers have suspected all along: that the Select Committee has conducted a political inquisition aimed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," the senators wrote in a letter to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus. 

"We firmly believe the Committee should be disbanded, and that every penny of taxpayer money that has financed this purely political committee ought to be repaid," the letter continued.

Hear, hear!

Tomorrow Clinton steps into the lions' den essentially wearing fang proof armor.

Not only should that be a show well worth watching I think it might also be the Benghazi committee's last hurrah.

(H/T to Democratic Underground.)