Benghazi Czar Trey Gowdy (R-SC)
If Republicans are trying to get Hillary Clinton to lose her cool, they're failing. Some people involved in the Benghazi Committee hearing with Clinton are losing their cool, though: Republicans. By shouting and interrupting, people like Jim Jordan and Peter Roskam may have ensured that they would make the highlight clips of this long, long hearing, but ... is that really what they wanted, to be shown yelling and ranting at a woman who's admirably keeping her cool and answering their questions?
You can watch a live stream of the hearing here.
Previous coverage of the hearing can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
4:52 PM PT: Jim Jordan wants to talk about Clinton's emails, to the point where some Democrat off-screen (Adam Smith, I think) breaks in and asks what it has to do with Benghazi. Jordan insists Clinton's emails have everything to do with Benghazi, continues with his flood of misleading details about her emails. Which still don't have jack to do with Benghazi. Something something transparency. Basically boils down to "but aren't you lying about having turned over all your emails about Libya?" Clinton repeats that her use of personal email was allowed but not a good choice. "Email was not my primary means of communication ... I did not have a computer on my desk." Her work was done through meetings, secure and not secure phone calls and so on. All she can say is that she provided all her work-related emails. Jordan wants to go into the details of how the decision of what was work-related was made. All information that is exhaustively on the public record already, and not relevant to Benghazi unless he expects her to say that she told her attorneys to omit searches for Libya.
This line of questioning continues to be not remotely about Benghazi. Clinton points out that the committee had nine hours with one of her attorneys, as in, the people who actually went through the emails. Jordan is talking faster and faster. Where was Clinton's server located? Why did she mention the Secret Service protection on the house where her server was located? Will she allow a "neutral third party" to sniff her metaphorical email underwear? Still not about Benghazi.
5:11 PM PT: Adam Schiff is fabulous again. He acknowledges he wasn't in the room when John Boehner decided to form this committee, but points out Trey Gowdy wasn't there either. Who was in the room? Kevin McCarthy, the guy who said the committee is there to attack Hillary Clinton. Ouch.
5:25 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): Pompeo just asked why they didn't send a plane from some base in Kansas to Benghazi the night of the attack. Bear in mind, the attack began and was over in less than an hour.
5:32 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): Seriously ...
5:35 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): Watch Republican Jim Jordan say Clinton is on "the witness stand." I thought this wasn't a trial ... Trey?
5:43 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): As we approach 11 hours since this hearing began, Clinton has coughing fit and seems to lose her voice. Asshole Chairman Gowdy graciously offers her a 60 second or two minute break.
5:48 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): Clinton snaps at Gowdy that she doesn't care if they don't like her but she isn't going to ignore slurs against Mullen.
5:50 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): Gowdy completely losing it now. And is melting.
5:59 PM PT: Gowdy continues losing it over Clinton's emails with no evident connection to Benghazi. You know, the thing this whole hearing is supposedly about? Sanchez points out he's over time, but Mr. Chairman will take extra time if he wants it. After all, he gave it to all the other Republicans, so why shouldn't he get it? The good news, though, is that he suggests they'll be finishing up rather than going to another round. Once he's gone on about email for a while more, natch.
Benghazi? Bueller?
Still, there's hope of this ending eventually. About damn time.