If, like many of us, you are deep in the weeds in your understanding of the issues around Benghazi, the 2010 Arab Spring (Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen), or the CIA operation “Zero Footprint” in Libya and the follow-up operation in Syria, you will enjoy this interview with former Panetta/Petraeus replacement Mike Morell.
Or, if you have a cursory understanding of events, this interview might spur you toward further research.  “The Benghazi Brief” – Regardless of your current level of understanding behind events of the past 7+ years, this interview is well constructed.
Bret Baier has done his homework, and in a refreshing and surprising manner you can see how Baier is able to cut through the distracting ‘talking points’ (no pun intended), and draw out the reality of what lies behind Morell and his foundational motives.

A letter from Hillary Clinton’s legal team (embed below)to the House Committee On Benghazi.   The attorney’s agree to one appearance, but refuse a second.
Originally committee chairman, Trey Gowdy, wanted Secretary Clinton to appear first to address the email and communication issues to gain a better understanding of what documentation issues surround her tenure as Secretary of state; and a second appearance to address the structural questions about Benghazi as they relate to the issues not yet reconciled:
[scribd id=264119537 key=key-vjhTb1vfneMeKO0ARary mode=scroll]

Trey Gowdy, Chairman of The House Select Committee on Benghazi, has requested former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appear before the panel next month.
In a letter to Clinton attorney David Kendall (below) Gowdy asks that Hillary testify before the committee “the week of May 18” to discuss email issues; and again before June 18 to talk about the deadly Benghazi attack (9/11/2012)

(more…)

As you read the following media report it is important to remember: ♦ Hillary Clinton has previously stated, unequivocally, that no classified communication traveled through her self-created personal communication network. 

So what exactly is there to review?  Either the U.S. government believes the statements by the Secretary of State to be true, or they do not.

Second, ♦ the government knowingly allowed the secret communication network to exist and allowed all the construction issues therein to take place.  Therefore the burden of any administrative compliance issue should reside upon them to reconcile expeditiously.

(The Washington Times) The Obama administration told a federal court Monday that it needs “several months” more to go through former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s government emails, saying it’s proving time-consuming to sort out exactly what information they can release to the public,

Justice Department lawyers also bristled at accusations that the government perpetrated a fraud by hiding the existence of the emails, as Mr. Obama’s team begins to fully grapple with the legal complications Mrs. Clinton has left them. (more…)

As we have outlined (with considerable criticism) over the past year, the only substantive inquiry into the Benghazi scandal will have to be held in non-public settings. When you dig into the substance, and avoid the political aspects, everything that matters regarding the Benghazi fiasco is covered under U.S. national security protections.

There is little of value available to discuss in public hearings. If you understand the Benghazi Brief you understand why.

The CIA and the State Department were conducting a joint covert operation labeled “Zero Footprint” in Libya. That operation was expanded into Syria after Panetta left the CIA. The congressional intelligence oversight known as the Gang of Eight were fully briefed.

Hence, if House Select Committee Chair Trey Gowdy wants to discuss email use, or communication methods therein, during the tenure of Clinton and Panetta, around Operation Zero Footprint, Gowdy has to make those inquiries in private.

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House select committee investigating the Benghazi attacks asked Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday to appear for a private interview about her exclusive use of a personal email account when she was secretary of state.

“The committee believes a transcribed interview would best protect Secretary Clinton’s privacy, the security of the information queried, and the public’s interest in ensuring this committee has all information needed to accomplish the task set before it,” the chairman, Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, said in a letter sent Tuesday morning. (more…)

Hillary Clinton said the construct of her secret communication network was specifically because she only wanted to carry one device – obviously she lied right out of the gate.

The Associated Press has gained a total of FOUR emails from a FOIA request regarding correspondence between Hillary Clinton and her personal aide Huma Abedin search term “drone strikes”.

The emails show the Clinton led U.S. State Department focused an inordinate amount of time and energy discussing articles written by the media. It would appear at least a substantive portion of time in/around the State Dept was spent reviewing what reporters were writing about U.S. foreign policy outcomes.

One of the emails (Sept 18th 2011 – last in the pdf below) shows Hillary answering a question about floral arrangements amid a chain email discussing Pakistan’s efforts to battle the Taliban. Ms. Abedin responds curiously. (more…)

Hillary Clinton lawyers now claiming after they decided what was “business” and what was “personal” email, they destroyed everything. Gee, who didn’t see that coming….

WASHINGTON DC – Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton failed to provide any new documents to the congressional panel investigating the Benghazi terrorist attacks, instead notifying the committee that she has “wipe[d] her server clean,” the lead investigator announced.

“After seeking and receiving a two week extension from the Committee, Secretary Clinton failed to provide a single new document to the subpoena issued by the Committee and refused to provide her private server to the Inspector General for the State Department or any other independent arbiter for analysis,” Representative Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.), the chairman of the select committee investigating the attacks, announced Friday evening. (more…)

Washington Post author Richard Cohen is trying -miserably- to construct an analogy of political rushing to judgment surrounding Benghazi Libya and Ferguson Missouri. “Trying” is obviously the operative word.

[Richard Cohen] …Ferguson has become the liberal Benghazi. It is more of a cause than a place, more of an ideological statement than an incident. Ferguson was not the racist murder it was thought to be, and Benghazi was not an incident in which the Obama administration’s incompetence or timidity allowed four Americans to die. The facts argue otherwise. (link)

Wordsmithing analogies require some level of similarity. Toward that end only the most inane of liberal minds could possibly conceive of a proposition claiming the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty – have any comparison to a Ferguson street thug attacking a police officer; yet Cohen tries.

So in an effort to actually provide Cohen with similarity allow me to show what was, factually, similar in both instances. (more…)

Earlier this month, in response to the exponentially growing email scandal, Hillary Clinton said:

…“the vast majority of my work emails went to government employees at their government addresses, which meant they were captured and preserved immediately on the system at the State Department”….

Except they weren’t.

They didn’t.

Buried inside a New York Times article today, discussing the email issues as they specifically relate to Benghazi, the following paragraphs are noted: (more…)

Very interesting article by Monica Crowley in the Washington Times pondering over the communications and non-official relationship between Hillary Clinton and Sidney Blumenthal. Blumenthal said to be in direct contact with various foreign governments and agencies to backchannel information to Hillary around official U.S. oversight.

Against the backdrop of what we researched -evidenced within The Benghazi Brief– the secret intelligence communication motive does make a lot of sense.

WASHINGTON TIMES – We all know that the only reason you would deliberately and premeditatedly set up a private email address and server is to have total control over your communications — to keep people away from those communications and to retain the ability to edit and delete your content.

In Hillary Clinton’s case, given her long history of concealment and duplicity, total control was the system’s purpose, not to keep track of Chelsea’s bridal gift registry.

A story originally reported in 2013 (and little-noticed at the time) may offer a deeper dimension to the reasons she wanted this control — and it leaves us with many new, unanswered questions. (more…)