Benghazi Scandal Destroyed As Trey Gowdy’s Own Lawyer Cuts Down Conspiracy Theory

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:59 pm

A key piece of evidence has surfaced that has dealt a crippling blow to the Republican Benghazi conspiracy.
A letter from Benghazi Democrats to Benghazi Select Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) made public some vital facts:

Unfortunately, your letter failed to include any statements from your own former Republican Chief Counsel—a retired three-star general with more than 33 years of service in the United States Army who repeatedly commended the military’s actions on the night of the attacks during closed interviews with Defense Department officials.

For example, on January 8, 2016, the Select Committee conducted a transcribed interview with former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. During that interview, your former Chief Counsel stated:

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I think you ordered exactly the right forces to move out and to head toward a position where they could reinforce what was occurring in Benghazi or in Tripoli or elsewhere in the region. And, sir, I don’t disagree with the actions you took, the recommendations you made, and the decisions you directed.
Your former Chief Counsel acknowledged that it is clear from the time and distances involved that none of the military forces could have gotten to Benghazi in time to save lives.

He stated:

And, again, sir, I don’t mean to suggest that anything could have been done differently to affect the outcome in Benghazi, and I think you would agree with that.

In addition, on January 13, 2016, the Select Committee conducted a transcribed interview with the Defense Department’s former Chief of Staff, Jeremy Bash. During that interview, your former Republican Chief Counsel stated:

I would posit that from my perspective, having looked at all the materials over the last 18 months, we could not have affected the response to what occurred by 5: 15 in the morning on the 12th of September if Benghazi, Libya. So let me start with that positing or that stipulation.

Your former Chief Counsel also stated:

I don’t see any way to influence what occurred there. But what I am worried about is we’re caught by surprise On 9/11, we’ve got nothing postured to respond in a timely manner—and you can debate what’s timely, what’s untimely, but nothing could have affected what occurred in Benghazi.

The conclusions of your former Republican Chief Counsel match almost exactly the findings—from more than two years ago—of the House Committee on Armed Services, which conducted its own investigation into the attacks in Benghazi. Rep. Buck McKeon, the Republican Chairman of the Committee who led that investigation, concluded at the time, “I think I’ve pretty well been satisfied that given where the troops were, how quickly the thing all happened and how quickly it dissipated, we probably couldn’t have done more than we did.

Even the former counsel for the Republicans who are leading the Benghazi investigation didn’t buy what Gowdy was trying sell.

The reality is that Rep. Gowdy’s Benghazi investigation has found no new facts. The House Select Committee on Benghazi will reach the same conclusion that all of the other congressional investigations have come to. There was nothing that could have been done differently to change the outcome in Benghazi.

There was no stand down order. Military help could not have arrived fast enough. All of the pieces of the conspiracy theory that Republicans have made the central part of their 2016 presidential campaign are false. The Republican answer to any questions about Donald Trump has been to pivot to Hillary Clinton and Benghazi, but the “investigation” is a sham that is intended to influence the 2016 election. Rep. Kevin McCarthy cost himself the Speakership by admitting on Fox News that the Benghazi investigation was a plot to get Hillary Clinton.

Republicans were banking on Benghazi, but all they really have is Donald Trump.

Jason Easley

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