Tweet Of The Day- Strategic Bunk

This tweet from Sunday says a lot about Kevin McCarthy, and as much about his Party.

There’s a word that comes to mind … what is it … oh yeah, I know: BENGHAZI https://t.co/zkqYJceKAJ

— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) January 10, 2022

 

In June, John A. Tures of the Ohio Capital Journal recalled

As of October of 2012, there were more than seven Congressional probes of the Benghazi attack, mostly led by Republicans.  These included (1) the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, (2) The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, (3) the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, (4) The House Committee on Foreign Affairs, (5) The House Committee on the Judiciary, (6) The House Committee on Armed Services, and (7) The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. There’s also (8) The House Select Committee on Benghazi. This list does not account for non-Congressional investigations of the terror attack. 

The Poynter Institute’s Politfact found this of Hillary Clinton’s view of the findings: “As for her comment that there was no overt wrongdoing, just room for improvement, that’s a rosy assessment. But it is also largely accurate.”

Don't make me say it, but the investigation into Hillary Clinton was bunk.

Greater attention should have been paid when in September 2015 U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California admitted

Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would’ve known any of that had happened had we not fought and made that happen.

If GOP hypocrisy cannot be overestimated, as Bardella accurately suggests, neither can its radicalism.  The Ohio journalist Tures noted also

U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., rushed to insist that these hearings unbiased, but the damage by McCarthy was done. It was a major reason why McCarthy was pushed aside as a replacement for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, by Republicans who selected Paul Ryan instead.

Similarly, at the time of McCarthy's statement, veteran syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne wrote

Bill and Hillary Clinton have been lucky over the years in having a cast of characters arrayed against them who always overplayed their hand. McCarthy, who kept a poker table in his Sacramento house during his days in the California legislature, went all in a bit too early.

That turned out to be wishful thinking as McCarthy's remark has not appeared to hurt the Republican Party at all. Instead, Mrs. Clinton almost unbelievably lost an election she was heavily favored to win.  And McCarthy, pushed aside for Paul Ryan to replace John Boehner as Speaker of the House of Representatives, since has become the leader of House Republicans.

The poker player whom E.J. Dionne described seems to be playing the long game.  While a few Republicans concede that Joe Biden fairly won in 2020, McCarthy attacked formation of the 1/6 commission, never has explicitly conceded the legitimacy of the election, and continues to blast out his radical partisanship.

Bardella exposes the hypocrisy of the Minority Leader. But Republicans are favored to take over the House of Representatives after November's elections, Kevin McCarthy is determined to become Speaker, and the Californian appears to know what it takes to rewarded by the anti-democracy party.

 

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