GOP on Clean-Up Duty for Leader McCarthy
- Leader McCarthy's predecessor, Speaker Boehner, brought out the mop and bucket:
@BillKristol: Boehner cleans up after McCarthy. Embarrassing for the likely next Speaker.
@jmhattem: Boehner now having to do mop-up duty on McCarthy's comments about politicization of Benghazi Cmte
- Jason Chaffetz (R-UT): "Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on ‘The Situation Room,' Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said McCarthy should apologize, saying the California Republican made an ‘absolutely inappropriate statement.'" [CNN]
- Justin Amash (R-MI): "Added Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, ‘I totally disagree with those comments.' Asked if they could jeopardize his bid for speaker, the conservative Amash said: ‘I think it should be a concern.'" [CNN]
- Adam Kinzinger (R-IL): "Kinzinger added, ‘Now, for Kevin's statement, it's unfortunate. Probably he should make a comment.'" [CNN]
- Thomas Massie (R-KY): "In an interview on CNN, Massie said McCarthy ‘owes an apology to the families' of the four Americans who died in the 2012 attacks in Libya… ‘The Democrats are right to criticize him,' said Massie, a tea party Republican who serves on the House Oversight Committee, which previously investigated the attacks. ‘I would criticize him.'" [TPM]
- Unnamed Republicans: "Privately, Republicanswere outraged by the remarks, saying the House majority leader had given Democrats unfounded ammunition to argue that the committee's investigation is squarely being driven by politics. Republicans on the committee had tried for months to keep the focus of the inquiry on the administration's handling of the attacks, avoiding getting into the ins and outs of the various aspects on the email stories." [CNN]
Even as Republicans tried desperately to sort out Leader McCarthy's mess, some House Republicans only confirmed what Leader McCarthy admitted about the Select Committee to Investigate Hillary Clinton:
- Talking Points Memo: House GOPer: Yes, The Benghazi Committee 'Makes For Good Politics'
A Republican congresswoman said during an interview Thursday morning on MSNBC that the Benghazi committee makes for "good politics."
MSNBC's Jose Diaz-Balart asked Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) whether the House Select Committee on Benghazi was created expressly to sink Hillary Clinton's poll numbers.
Republicans know they've got quite a mess on their hands with Leader McCarthy – and so do opinion writers across the country.
Berkshire Eagle: McCarthy rats out party on Benghazi
It has long been apparent that congressional Republicans have been trying to exploit the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya to undermine the Democratic presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton, who was U.S. secretary of state at the time. The Republican-led Select Committee on Benghazi was the primary weapon.
In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Representative McCarthy admitted as much, and while he came across as gloating, his words were more along the lines of a damning confession.
Washington Post's EJ Dionne: Kevin McCarthy's truthful gaffe on Benghazi
So now we know: One of the principal reasons Republicans spent so much public money investigating the tragic Benghazi episode was to bring down Hillary Clinton's poll numbers.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the likely successor to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), told Fox News's Sean Hannity explicitly on Tuesday night that the Clinton investigation was part of a "strategy to fight and win."
…
Taxpayers might be interested in learning whether their hard-earned money — sorry, I could not resist invoking that favorite GOP cliche — was going out the door primarily to affect the chances of one particular candidate for president. How much? Rob Garver of the Fiscal Times has estimated that the select committee "will likely spend some $6 million by next year."
…it's good to know what Mr. McCarthy is fighting for, even though it contradicts everything that he and Mr. Boehner had said about the repeated investigations.
According to The Hill, an independent news organization covering the Capitol, the 17-month investigation is now the longest special committee inquiry in U.S. history — longer than the Watergate investigation, longer than the Kennedy assassination investigation.
Since the witch hunt is not about governance, Mr. McCarthy should end it and refund the taxpayers, from GOP political sources, for the $5 million-plus that has been wasted on it.
Leader McCarthy, here's a surefire way to end this mess for yourself: stop wasting taxpayer money on a brazen political smear campaign. Americans deserve better.