A Democratic member of House Intelligence Committee claims that a declassified report clears the Obama administration of any wrongdoing on Benghazi, but so far the mainstream press has largely ignored this story.
SFGate reported on Friday, “House Intelligence Committee, led by Republicans, has concluded that there was no deliberate wrongdoing by the Obama administration in the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, said Rep. Mike Thompson of St. Helena, the second-ranking Democrat on the committee.”
That’s pretty big news, and it was met with a collective yawn by the mainstream press. This publication have been trying to verify Thompson’s comments independently, but so far nobody is talking. It is understandable that reputable news organizations would be reluctant to publish Rep. Thompson’s interpretation of the report without additional verification that the findings did clear the Obama administration, but what is inexcusable is the media’s decision to ignore Thompson’s comments completely.
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It is possible to report on Thompson’s comments without making them the definitive statement about the report. In fact, that would be the responsible course to take. I personally would like to see Rep. Thompson’s claim that the report clears the Obama administration confirmed via other members of the committee before it is taken as fact. Politicians in both parties spin reports, so one source isn’t good enough.
The fact that the media has decided to ignore the story altogether is evidence that our press is always more interested in the potential scandal than the truth. The media covered the “broken” Obamacare website long after the site was fixed and becoming a success. The press was obsessed with this “scandal” that they refused to acknowledge that the site was working long after it had been fixed. The media has also paid scant attention to the success of the ACA. It was as if the law went away once the website was running properly.
The tell-tale sign on the House Intelligence Committee report will be when it is released. House Republicans will not want this report released before their big three million dollar Benghazi investigation in the fall. If the report is magically delayed until after the mid-term elections, it’s a pretty safe bet that it clears the Obama administration.
The truth is that no one but the members of the committee know what is in the report. To treat the words of Democratic member of the committee as gospel is irresponsible, but to ignore the story completely is a borderline disservice to the American people.
Decisions such as this one are the reason why most Americans don’t trust the mainstream press.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
