Grab some popcorn and watch MSNBC host -- and possible presidential candidate? -- Joe Scarborough tee off on one of his network colleagues, Donny Deutsch, for intimating that Republicans should be careful not to overreach on the unfolding Benghazi scandal as the media has already thoroughly covered it. Ahem. Scarborough is a man who can get fired up, but I don’t recall ever seeing him this fired up. The key bit starts after the 6:00 minute mark (via Ed Morrissey):
Scarborough: “You see the White House spokesperson lying on national television. You see an ABC Newsperson shocked that he’s lying and treating the press corps and Americans like they’re stupid. He says it’s not about Benghazi. Republicans and conservatives have been called fools for a year now for saying this happened. They don’t release it with the original documents that are released. They finally, reluctantly are forced to release it. Then you have the White House lying about it yesterday, saying it’s not about Benghazi, and you’re only reaction is, ‘Hey, Republicans better not overreact to the cover-up?’”
Scarborough is of course right. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney’s best excuse yesterday to spin away pointed questions from ABC News’ Jonathan Karl was to plainly assert that a newly surfaced Benghazi-related document had nothing to do with Benghazi itself. That didn’t work out so well. The media has for more than a year determined that this premeditated raid was a “non-scandal,” but the evidence suggests that the White House knowingly mislead the American people about what happened that night. Did the administration have a hand in inventing false talking points -- spouted by Ambassador Susan Rice on five different Sunday talk shows -- that blamed the terrorist attack on an anti-Islamic film? I think the evidence is irrefutable.
If nothing else the White House still has lots of explaining to do about the events of 9/11/2012, and Republicans in a sense have been vindicated. But this investigation, I hope, is only getting started.