McCain skips Benghazi briefing, gets testy when questioned by CNN
Posted by
CNN Senior Congressional Producer Ted Barrett
(CNN) - Most of the Republican members of a Senate committee investigating the terrorist attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, skipped an classified briefing by administration officials on the incident Wednesday, CNN has learned.
The missing lawmakers included Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who at the time of the top-secret briefing held a press conference in the Capitol to call for the creation of a Watergate-type special Congressional committee to investigate how and why the attack took place.
McCain, who has accused President Barack Obama of not telling the truth about the Benghazi attack, said that even though there are several committees involved in the probe, only a select committee could streamline the information flow and resolve the "many unanswered questions" about the tragedy.
When CNN approached McCain in a Capitol hallway Thursday morning, the senator refused to comment about why he missed the briefing, which was conducted by top diplomatic, military and counter-terrorism officials. Instead, McCain got testy when pressed to say why he wasn't there.
"I have no comment about my schedule and I'm not going to comment on how I spend my time to the media," McCain said.
Asked why he wouldn't comment, McCain grew agitated: "Because I have the right as a senator to have no comment and who the hell are you to tell me I can or not?”
When CNN noted that McCain had missed a key meeting on a subject the senator has been intensely upset about, McCain said, "I'm upset that you keep badgering me."
While McCain refused to shed light on why he didn't show, his spokesman Brian Rogers emailed CNN a short time later with an explanation. He blamed it on a "scheduling error" but wouldn't provide any more detail.
According to a Democratic aide on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, only three of the eight GOP members of the committee attended the two hour briefing that ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. By contrast, seven of the nine Democratic members were there.
McCain's press conference took place at noon.
So this bullying cunt harps on about the issue for weeks, insults our Ambassador to the UN, going so far as to claim he'll hold up her nomination to Secretary of State, and then skips the fucking hearing? On what fucking planet does this worthless twat get to be a Senator on?
We pissing our pants yet?
-Negan
You got your shittin' pants on? Because you’re about to Shit. Your. Pants!
-Negan
He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.
-George Bernard Shaw
As shitty as this is, I'm sure he can go back and get all the relevant information.
It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it. Blank Yellow (NSFW)
What bothers me isn't the two-faced nature of this, blaming for lack of information being given while skipping a scheduled appointment for him to learn that very information. That's just typical media-manipulating propaganda.
What bothers me is that he is avoiding during the more serious aspect of his job just to some mud-flinging. Politics or no, a "top secret" hearing about a recent, significant event that effects his job is where a senator should be. That's why they are held, so they can make informed decisions if they have a crisis on their hands regarding it. It doesn't matter if he's member of the GOP, the Dems or even the Communist Party, that's his job. Instead, he avoids doing it just to do some simpler mud-flinging.
Credo!
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OK, seriously, do you think that McCain doesn't have access to everything said in that meeting just because he didn't go?
It was a briefing not a roundtable he needs to participate in.
It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it. Blank Yellow (NSFW)
The point is not whether he can find a way to acquire that information after the fact; the point is that while they were handing it out at a meeting that he was fully aware of, he was holding a press conference to complain that they're keeping information from him. The point is that he's a lying sack of shit.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Darth Wong wrote:The point is not whether he can find a way to acquire that information after the fact; the point is that while they were handing it out at a meeting that he was fully aware of, he was holding a press conference to complain that they're keeping information from him. The point is that he's a lying sack of shit.
McCain's actions would make more sense if he believes the claim by Broadwell and others that the CIA had prisoners at the embassy. If he believes the explanation given at the briefing to be a cover story it would explain why he wants a Congressional committee to uncover the truth, and his personal history would explain why he's so pissed off about it.
Losonti Tokash wrote:Yeah, cause John McCain would NEVER support torture. Nope.
I've gotten the impression that McCain is genuinely opposed to torture. Even if he did cave and support it when he thought it would help get him elected.
Losonti Tokash wrote:Yeah, cause John McCain would NEVER support torture. Nope.
I've gotten the impression that McCain is genuinely opposed to torture. Even if he did cave and support it when he thought it would help get him elected.
It's hard to tell what he supports this week. He's changed his stance at least 3 times that I know of.
Losonti Tokash wrote:Yeah, cause John McCain would NEVER support torture. Nope.
I've gotten the impression that McCain is genuinely opposed to torture. Even if he did cave and support it when he thought it would help get him elected.
A person who has been tortured who would then assent to or actively permit another to be tortured is a person beneath contempt.
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BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/ Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences
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Losonti Tokash wrote:Yeah, cause John McCain would NEVER support torture. Nope.
I've gotten the impression that McCain is genuinely opposed to torture. Even if he did cave and support it when he thought it would help get him elected.
It's hard to tell what he supports this week. He's changed his stance at least 3 times that I know of.
Yeah, it's getting harder to remember the days when McCain was a respectable, firm moderate Republican.
Back in 2008, I always thought McCain was somewhat of a tragic figure: a sincere, moderate man who finally succumbed to the extremism of his party in order to get elected. One of the most poignant, tragic moments during the whole campaign - at least, to me - was during a rally when McCain actually stood up for Obama in front of some idiot woman who was afraid Obama was an "Arab" who she can't trust. I remember watching that back in 2008, and thinking how tragic it was: I could only imagine that throughout his campaign, McCain must have had many moments where he thought to himself "Christ, what the fuck am I doing with this crazy base?"
But now... whatever redeemable qualities I thought might still be extant in this man are just gone. He's literally devolved into just another partisan Republican nutjob.
Channel72 wrote:Back in 2008, I always thought McCain was somewhat of a tragic figure: a sincere, moderate man who finally succumbed to the extremism of his party in order to get elected. One of the most poignant, tragic moments during the whole campaign - at least, to me - was during a rally when McCain actually stood up for Obama in front of some idiot woman who was afraid Obama was an "Arab" who she can't trust. I remember watching that back in 2008, and thinking how tragic it was: I could only imagine that throughout his campaign, McCain must have had many moments where he thought to himself "Christ, what the fuck am I doing with this crazy base?"
But now... whatever redeemable qualities I thought might still be extant in this man are just gone. He's literally devolved into just another partisan Republican nutjob.
That's not a defense. He basically said all Arabs aren't good people.
OK, seriously, do you think that McCain doesn't have access to everything said in that meeting just because he didn't go?
Let me put it this way: I sort of imagine that actually attending the briefing and reading some after-action report is comparable to going to a lecture at college. Actually attending it will not be the same as just reading someone else's notes.
Ergo, my point isn't him not bothering to get information. My point is that he is being a lazy at his job that instead of attending a serious briefing (which is hard, he'd have to analyse complex information and consider how he might make use of it), he'd rather go spew some bullshit (which is easy, as he just has to open his mouth and lie).
Credo!
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I wonder if John McCain and other Republicans that are protesting about Susan Rice, legitimately believe that there is an issue with her, or if they are just blowing smoke and know they are full of shit?
How do you think this Rice situation will play out.
This is all about McCain wanting a select committee on Benghazi so he can be on it and not be relegated to the Indian Affairs committee due to term limits.
We pissing our pants yet?
-Negan
You got your shittin' pants on? Because you’re about to Shit. Your. Pants!
-Negan
He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.
-George Bernard Shaw
