Fox News is reviving another phony "Benghazi talking points" conspiracy theory that was already discredited just because they can. Bill Hemmer was very excited as he opens up the segment by trying to make believe there are NEW questions arising about Benghazzzziiiii! And guess who is breaking the new-news on Benghazi? The Moonie Times. What reason could they possibly have to inaccurately characterize the attacks in Bengazi?
Hemmer: New questions now about what happened in Benghazi and the role then Deputy CIA director played Michael Morell crafting the talking points.
The Washington Times is reporting the station chief in Libya told Morell no demonstrations took place on September 11th. Now that was a full day before Susan Rice went on five Sunday shows to say protests led to deadly attacks. Now the question is did Morell or anyone else tell the president about this report?
Is this the hearing we've been waiting for?
Hasn't Bill Hemmer asked if this is the hearing we've been waiting for?, every time there's been a Benghazi hearing?
Bolton: Well, it could be. It depends upon if members of Congress will bear down in their questioning.
Yes, John. Republicans have gone way too easy on the administration, Susan Rice and the Benghazi story.
Emily Arrowood & Thomas Bishop:
Fox News' newest questions surrounding the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, were already addressed several months ago by the Senate and intelligence community's investigations into the attacks.
Ahead of former deputy CIA director Michael Morell's testimony this week before a Republican-led House committee on Benghazi, conservative media are reviving their accusation that the Obama administration changed talking points after the attack for political reasons. According to the right-wing conspiracy theory, the CIA station chief in Libya told Morell via email that the attacks were not an escalation of protests over an anti-Islam video, yet Morell didn't use that email to delete the talking points' references to demonstrations later used by then-UN Ambassador Susan Rice on the Sunday news shows.
On April 1, The Washington Times cited anonymous sources to claim that Morell told the White House and State Department that the station chief "had concluded that there was no protest but senior Obama administration and CIA officials in Washington ignored the assessment," an accusation Fox News quickly promoted.
The conspiracy theory has already been publicly addressed and debunked. As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence explained in its report on the attacks, the CIA would not have based intelligence for talking points on the station chief's email, because "as a standard practice" the agency does "not base analysis on emails and other informal communications from the field."
The report went on note that the CIA's official assessment that the attacks may have grown out of protests could not be changed for more than a week after the attack leading which "affected the public statements of government officials...read on
All Fox News has to do is say some people are asking new questions about Benghazi and they can do 24-hour marathons on it anytime they like.
