Stand clear. Give them enough room. With a little luck, the syndicate of grifters known as the Republican Party may do itself in for good, one day.
This week, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy did the one thing grifters never do. He gave himself and the entire syndicate of grifters away. He was standing before a TV camera on Fox, trying to prove himself to the bully who was taunting him with questions. That's how the truth came out.
A year and a half ago, the grifters said they set up a committee to investigate Benghazi but that was just a cover. Instead, they used the committee with its power, its influence with the press, and its access to public funds, as a platform to launch a sustained attack on the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton.
Here's McCarthy's confession:
This is exactly what the committee's Ranking Member, Elijah Cummings, has been saying all along. He posted a statement yesterday on the Democratic side of the committee website.
“This stunning concession from Rep. McCarthy reveals the truth that Republicans never dared admit in public: the core Republican goal in establishing the Benghazi Committee was always to damage Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and never to conduct an even-handed search for the facts. It is shameful that Republicans have used this tragedy and the deaths of our fellow Americans for political gain. Republicans have blatantly abused their authority in Congress by spending more than $4.5 million in taxpayer funds to pay for a political campaign against Hillary Clinton.”
http://democrats.benghazi.house.gov/...
|
Adam Schiff, one of the Democrats on the committee, explained how the Republicans, led by Trey Gowdy, were able to get away with using the committee for their own political agenda.
As for Hillary, didn't she say months ago that the fabricated controversy over her email was nothing more than a partisan political attack? I can't imagine the fortitude it takes to withstand the political gaslighting used against her.
A question about this episode remains unanswered.
Did the Republicans break any laws with the way they used the Benghazi committee to campaign against a likely opponent in the 2016 election?
The Congressional Research Service provides some insights with its Congressional Oversight Manual, which was updated December 19, 2014.
https://www.fas.org/...
Congressional oversight has legitimate purposes:
- To see that the President faithfully executes the laws they enact;
- To evaluate the officials in charge of federal agencies and public programs;
- To investigate waste, fraud, and mismanagement.
The Supreme Court has validated Congress’s power to oversee and Investigate.
Congress, investigating the administration of the Department of Justice during the Teapot Dome scandal,was considering a subject “on which legislation could be had or would be materially aided by the information which the investigation was calculated to elicit.” The “potential” for legislation was sufficient. The majority added, “We are of [the] opinion that the power of inquiry—with process to enforce it—is an
essential and appropriate auxiliary to the legislative function.”
McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135, 177, 181-182 (1927)
https://www.fas.org/...
|
Constitutional Authority to Perform Oversight and Investigative Inquiries
Generally, Congress’s authority and power to obtain information, including classified and/or confidential information, is extremely broad. While there is no express provision of the Constitution or specific statute authorizing the conduct of congressional oversight or investigations, the Supreme Court has firmly established that such power is essential to the legislative function.
https://www.fas.org/...
|
Legislative Purpose
While the congressional power of inquiry is broad, it is not unlimited. The Supreme Court has cautioned that the power to investigate may be exercised only “in aid of the legislative function” and cannot be used to expose for the sake of exposure alone There is no general authority to expose the private affairs of individuals without justification in terms of the functions of the Congress ... nor is the Congress a law enforcement or trial agency. These are functions of the executive and judicial departments of government. No inquiry is an end in itself; it must be related to, and in furtherance of, a legitimate task of the Congress.
https://www.fas.org/...
|
Committee Jurisdiction
As previously stated, a congressional committee is a creation of its parent house and, therefore, can only inquire into matters within the scope of the authority that has been delegated to it by that body. Thus, the enabling chamber rule or resolution that gives the committee life is also the charter that defines the grant and limitations of the committee’s power.
https://www.fas.org/...
|
The task assigned by the House to the committee matters. The activities the committee conducts must have a legislative purpose.
The committee was formed on May 8, 2014, when the House adopted H. Res. 567, Providing for the Establishment of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Here's what the committee was ordered to do by the text of the Resolution:
There is hereby established the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Select Committee’’).
INVESTIGATION AND REPORT ON THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE 2012 TERRORIST ATTACK IN BENGHAZI.
(a) The Select Committee is authorized and directed to conduct a full and complete investigation and study and issue a final report of its findings to the House regarding—
(1) all policies, decisions, and activities that contributed to the attacks on United States facilities in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, as well as those that affected the ability of the United States to prepare for the attacks;
(2) all policies, decisions, and activities to respond to and repel the attacks on United States facilities in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, including efforts to rescue United States personnel;
(3) internal and public executive branch communications about the attacks on United States facilities in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012;
(4) accountability for policies and decisions related to the security of facilities in Benghazi, Libya, and the response to the attacks, including individuals and entities responsible for those policies and decisions;
(5) executive branch authorities’ efforts to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012;
(6) executive branch activities and efforts to comply with Congressional inquiries into the attacks on United States facilities in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012;
(7) recommendations for improving executive branch cooperation and compliance with congressional oversight and investigations;
(8) information related to lessons learned from the attacks and executive branch activities and efforts to protect United States facilities and personnel abroad; and
(9) any other relevant issues relating to the attacks, the response to the attacks, or the investigation by the House of Representatives into the attacks.
http://www.gpo.gov/...
|
A year and a half later with over $4 million spent, all we have is a bogus scandal about emails.