Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) completely sabotaged the House Republican Benghazi investigation today by discussing a White House memo that undermines a big part of the Republican conspiracy theory.
According to ABC News:
A still-classified State Department e-mail says that one of the first responses from the White House to the Benghazi attack was to contact YouTube to warn of the “ramifications” of allowing the posting of an anti-Islamic video, according to Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The memo suggests that even as the attack was still underway — and before the CIA began the process of compiling talking points on its analysis of what happened — the White House believed it was in retaliation for a controversial video.
The reason why this memo is important is because the foundation of the Republican claims of a Benghazi cover-up is based on the idea that the White House intentionally lied and blamed a YouTube video for the attack.
White House officials are elated that Issa opened his mouth because the memo confirms what the administration has been saying all along. There is no conspiracy or cover-up. The intelligence community was concerned about the video even while the attack was still going on.
Rep. Trey Gowdy, who is chairing the Benghazi Select Committee, has been making the YouTube video/cover-up the justification for his investigation, but the memo that Issa discussed today proves that the YouTube video was not a fabricated story.
Issa views the memo as grounds for another conspiracy theory. He told Jon Karl of ABC News, “The e-mail shows the White House had hurried to settle on a false narrative — one at odds with the conclusions reached by those on the ground — before Americans were even out of harm’s way or the intelligence community had made an impartial examination of available evidence.”
Rep. Issa’s point makes no sense. How could the White House know that the YouTube video was a false narrative if the attack was still going on? The answer is that they couldn’t have known.
The big Republican push on Benghazi is falling apart fast. Benghazi was supposed to be the issue that made voters forget that Republicans were completely wrong about Obamacare. Benghazi was going to bring Obama down, and make Mitch McConnell the Senate majority leader. Instead of doing any of that, their efforts to make Benghazi into a national story have backfired.
Fox News’s ratings are tanking. Other networks refuse to cover it, and non-Republicans don’t care.
The distraction isn’t working, and now Darrell Issa has under-mined the whole supposed basis for the investigation.
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
There is so much fail in Issa he deserves his own YouTube channel with keywords issaFAIL in them.
Methinks the car thief is pissed that Orange Julius took away his shiny object and now being the snake that he is did this on purpose
Issa is simply a waste of oxygen on this planet. Has he ONE single thing of merit on his record during his entire time in the House? What will it take for the idiots in his gerrymandered district (who keep re-electing him) to see the light and boot his a$$ out??
Well Darrell Issa did something useful for once (snark).
Fielding Mellish: I object, your honor! This trial is a travesty. It’s a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.
From Woody Allen’s movie Bananas
Why is it that so many Evil Ones end up rich and powerful?
In any court of law, the accuser often comes under questioning to establish their credibility. Very little has been in the media about Darrell Issa and I find his criminal background quite interesting as a measure of his truthfulness. He was arrested for auto theft, accused of intimidation with a gun, charged with carrying a concealed weapon, twice arrested on weapons charges, convicted of possession of an unregistered gun, investigated for arson, charged with repeatedly using his public office for personal financial gain, and charged with seating House oversight and government reform committee members who have close connections to industries that could benefit from his investigations.
Does this sound like a person we can trust to get to the truth?
By the way, he is a multi-millinoaire; one of the 1%, which makes me think of the Balzac quote . . .”Behind every great fortune is a crime.” –––– Honore de Balzac
I’m unable to give a thumbs up on this site, but I am in total agreement with you DJ.
Purposeful sabotage was the first thing that came to my mind.
It just goes to show that Republicans are strictly out for themselves.
Well the republican party should just lay down and give up
obama care off the list
Benghazi off the list
Irs seems to be off the list.
Can you say fire Darrell Issa. He has wasted million in tax payers dollars
Well…no honor among theives…or lying Republicans either, I see. Poor Speaker Orange. Issa was getting nowhere…an inconsequential and a laughing stock. So Speaker Orange tosses Issa under the bus and appoints a sparkling NEW Committee…whose Chief Inquisitor promised the news conference that there was BRAND NEW EVIDENCE….but…er…no…he hadn’t SEEN the evidence…but he knows who DID!!
And now the children are in a cat fight. The hits just keep on coming!!!
At least this summer won’t be boring!!
That’s the Problem with being a perpetual
LIAR like Daryl Issa.
After telling So many LIES, He accidently
ends up telling the Truth.
TN, yes Issa is a waste of oxygen. However no seats in California are gerrymandered. Our districts are set by an independent commission of civilians, not politicians. Issa is in trouble in his district which is northen San Diego County. There is a real possibility he will lose his seat in November.
I’ll say it again;
They’re ALL maroons.
This always happens to them because of their myopia. They cannot see past their own knee jerk reactions.
If Issa would have thought this through, he would have seen this really doesn’t support their own theory.
Maroons.
Issa is an assa!
Good Lord we can only hope so.
Issa is better at stealing cars.
COULD IT BE HE WANTS TO FILE SOME MORE INSURANCE CLAIMS?
There is a 14 hour +1m 13s longer time difference between D.C. (EST) and Libya (Tripoli, to be specific,) but Issa probably hasn’t thought of this. I think the video did play a role in the attack, and anyone who says it didn’t isn’t being realistic, because it’s not as if something like this hasn’t happened before. If that RW Pastor Jones’s little stunt of burning Korans in FL caught the attention of Muslims in Afghanistan and caused an anti-American protest, it would be foolish to conclude that some Muslims in Benghazi couldn’t have become upset about the anti-Muslim video and attacked our consulate.
There is a 14 hour +1m 13s longer time difference between D.C. (EST) and Libya (Tripoli, to be specific,) but Issa probably hasn’t thought of this. I think the video did play a role in the attack, and anyone who says it didn’t isn’t being realistic, because it’s not as if something like this hasn’t happened before. If that RW Pastor Jones’s little stunt of burning Korans in FL caught the attention of Muslims in Afghanistan and caused an anti-American protest, it would be foolish to conclude that some Muslims in Benghazi couldn’t have become upset about the anti-Muslim video and attacked our consulate.
No doubt in my mind that the terrorists seen a way to attack by surprise as riots were occurring all across the Middle East. Had there been no riots I would bet my last 2 million dollars there would have been no attack
Oh PLEASE be true! We’re trying to get rid of Dana Rohrabacher here in the 48th district(Newport & Huntington Beach) right north of Darrell Issa’s district too.
Profound post. Thanks!
These people are so detached from reality- driven by their own hate-filled self-promoting agenda- that truth is really not an important feature in their narrative.
No matter how nonsensical the theory Issa is promoting on any given week, there will be some people who will believe it and will defend it to their dying breaths.
This is why it is up to Congress to put a stop to this waste of time and money. It is up to the people to get up out of their comfortable seats and vote these charlatans out of office. They never should have been there in the first place.
The attackers in Benghazi are not unlike the Republicans leading this false conspiracy investigation. Opportunists.
Issa’s campaign committee has raised over $2.5 million in the last five quarters, using Beghazi as the bait. Even if he’s in trouble in his home district, money has a way of shifting outcome.
Good story; I hope that’s the way it works out.
And it’s “undermined”; “underminded” is a word that describes many Republicans in government.
If he ever tells the truth no one will believe him. Issa has cried wolf too many times. He’s made such a fool of himself but he still plows on making himself a bigger A__of himself. Nothing stops this dimwit. He cannot tell the truth and become an honorable man because he lacks moral fortitude. He is just another wealthy scavenger. Money and power does not make a man. Once a thief,always a thief. No matter how high he puts his nose in the air the stench around him lingers.
You’re right about no gerrymandered California districts, but I live in Issa’s district, in the southernmost Orange County portion, and you’re wrong about there being a risk to his seat. There is no serious Democratic contender in the race. Unfortunately. For everyone.
Jason,
I think you meant ‘undermined’ instead of ‘under-minded’.
It was always obvious that the attack was pre-planned. Spontaneous reactions from crowds don’t come prepared with RPG’s and enough ammunition to last for an 7 hour firefight, still going on while this request was made by the White House to ‘U-tube’.
This means little, but even giving the WH all the benefit of the doubt, it still doesn’t come close to explaining why Hillary Clinton was still blaming the movie in Dover with the caskets behind her on Sept 14 and vowing to Tyrone Woods’ father to jail the filmmaker. Nor does it excuse Susan Rice blaming the movie that next weekend, nor, incredibly, and inexplicably, Barack Obama blaming it on the movie as late as Sept 16 on David Letterman.
I’ve loss track, what’s the score? President Obama 10, GOP 0?
I hope to God Issa loses his seat. How did this thieving. no good low life get elected in the first place?
Because they know how to screw people.
Man, I hope you’re right. I live in central California, not exactly a bastion of progressive thinking, but the fact that Issa exists and continues to be elected baffles me. I talked to one person from his district, and she doesn’t understand it either. Can you give me your reasons why you think he will not win in November?
99 percent of Americans believed it was the video that caused that attack at Benghazi that night. Hell, every major and minor city in all of Islam was in a jihad fever like up roar over it. The GOP belief that Benghazi, being the only city not on the jihad path over the video is as disgusting as it is despicable. But then the republican party is full of the disgusting and despicable.
With all videos having a foreword by Jar Jar Binks.
Never believed “coverup” — more of a leadership competence issue. Remember that this email is *still* classified and not fully released, and the full content is not known? Why, if it’s harmless? Why is it classified and not released as directed before? These are all the result of a FOI Lawsuit. Why?
We would like to know why the White House was actively looking for a YouTube Video rather than finding ways to send help to Americans in danger. Or why it’s not releasing material about the lack of a rescue effort.
The regime seems to be buzzing during this time with talking points with few questions answered on the role of the President and who issued the orders not to send in help.
Is it that hard: where was the President (besides getting ready for a fundraiser) and who in Washington ignored the call (I have been in secure places in State, I *know* that message got through with the highest of priority) ignored that call for help and told resources ready to help to st…
Dumbass where was that help going to come from? Europe? Tell you what lock your self in a room pump smoke in it, then call for help and lets us know how long it would take before help gets there. If nothing else we would have culled the herd of another idiot
Mike! Please STFU with your gibberish non-sensical debunked talking points already….please. It is utter nonsense you parody. Why don’t you join the other Republicans who have seen the light, breathed in the truth and have moved on out of the Benghazi Horse and pony show. Drop it, there’s no there there. Case closed, go home!
Cue GOP response in 5, 4, 3, 2 . ..
of course you would contact YouTubes — its all part of the coverup!!!
Issa is the ONE red boil in beautiful LIBERAL BLUE CALIFORNIA. Issa has over $2.5 million in campaign funds, democrat Leavens has just over $22 thousand.
I’m in CA-28 and have D-Adam Schiff, who Pelosi appointed to be on the “new witch hunt” committee.
http://www.opensecrets.org/races/election.php?state=CA
Can’t we move on to more important issues facing our country?! This is a dog and pony show to attack Hillary before 2016 and continue to stonewall Obama on every relevant issue. At every turn of the corner, the blame is placed solely on the POTUS as if he were an Emperor without a system of checks and balances. Watch the GOP apply the blackface and bamboozle our President at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/10/bamboozling-obama.html
HAHAHAHA Wow Good and Idiot.
gop are really, really that stupid. All of them have a form of welcome-dementia.
issa…what can I say…he’s a thieven(sp), thuggish bitch.
A bunch of greedy clowns, faithful liars and dicwads.
You guys have a problem. You have no concern that the CIA was running guns and miscles to the brotherhood and then these guns were used to shoot our soldiers. Yes it had to be covered up!!!!!
You have a problem. Your news sources are transmitting BS and its going right through your aluminum foil hat
So, when do we get to investigate the ‘investigator’?
I disagree. If he were better at stealing cars he wouldn’t have gotten caught. I think there should be a basic fit for duty mental exam for all that file to run for office. Would have been great here before quitter Palin was elected.
I wish “I hope” could be the same as “I agree” 0 unfortunately, I’ve been living in this d-a conservative district for 43 years and my vote doesn’t seem to be worth much…
I still want to know where was all the republican outrage over embassy attacks the 8 years George W Bush was president.
12 attacks and not one republican led investigation. Not one.
“We would like to know why the White House was actively looking for a YouTube Video rather than finding ways to send help to Americans in danger. Or why it’s not releasing material about the lack of a rescue effort.”
“ ignored that call for help and told resources ready to help to st…”
Tell us the truth, Mike.
Are you mentally impaired?
First, the Administration has sufficient flunkies they can divert a minor one to follow the YouTube angle and try for damage control while the majority work on other angles.
Shutting down the Arabic version of that video might be too late, OR it might calm the storm a day early if there were rubes that hadn’t seen it yet.
But it was worth doing, the entire Middle East was filled with riots and demonstrations because of that video.
The Rescue plane got to Benghazi Airport in 3 hours, 20 minutes.
For a distance of 416 miles, and having to charter a plane, that’s not bad.
There WAS NO Stand Down Order. It’s …
“You guys have a problem. You have no concern that the CIA was running guns and miscles to the brotherhood and then these guns were used to shoot our soldiers.”
YOU have a problem. You believe all the RW hoaxes, don’t you?
You have absolutely no proof; the Right Wing pulled this out of their collective A$$.
When are you going to wake up and realize your fantasies aren’t REAL ?
This article comes to conclusions that have no basis in fact, but instead is comprised of simplistic liberal wishful thinking. Testimony, logic, and two recently un-redacted emails already established that the Obama Administration knew by 10PM that it was a planned terrorist attack, two hours after the attack began; when Hillary released the first administration statement and lied about the video as the cause (and for 14 days afterwards). The article’s naïve/false claim that this early statement indicates that Obama and Company honestly believed in the video story, when in reality, measured against the other information, it only indicates that they were already trying to change the narrative.
Been hitting the meth pipe again while masturbating to faux news
Opinionated, but shortsighted.
Hillary is already starting her own “dog and pony show” adding ex-Obama flack Tommy Vieter (“Dude, that was like two years ago.”) and Lanny (“Truth” Squad) Davis. The autocrat Obama has no one but himself to blame for his massive failures. The sooner we see the end of him, the sooner we can repair all the damage he has done to America.
You do know the majority live in a reality based world, you on the other hand live in dumfukistan in the village of idiotville