Hearing is underway. Anyone watching? (YouTube livestream here.) I have it on as background noise and am paying intermittent attention as the workday allows.
Flounder-faced Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy is slated to grill Hillary Clinton but may find himself stuffed and baked instead, plated up with a nice beurre blanc sauce — th-th-th-th-th!
Open thread!
WereBear
Love the Lecter reference :)
Geeno
Mmmmmmm. Stuffed Gowdy.
Sounds good. I’ll bring a nice chianti.
debbie
Gowdy’s new haircut isn’t working for him.
JPL
Trey is talking about how strong his committee is. His is the only committee that has wasted our time and money. Whoops, that is not really what he said though.
Gindy51
@WereBear: Too bad he isn’t there to cook something up….
Geeno
@debbie: You’re supposed to say that about Hillary. You’ll never make it in the press corpse.
JPL
@debbie: He reminds me of one of Betty’s chickens. No offense meant to the chickens though.
Cermet
@JPL: And he will both act like a chicken by laying an egg with his stupid and this will result with yet more egg on his face. Hope that covers the chicken jokes …
debbie
I wish I could listen longer, but Cummings has come out swinging.
Betty Cracker
Well done so far, Mr. Cummings. Glad he’s emphasizing the millions wasted on this partisan witch hunt.
Dork
Is there a douchier name than “Trey Gowdy”? I supposed a “Esq” or “III” would send it into the Douchiverse, but as is, it’s Top 5 Moocho Doucho Monikers on Cap Hill.
Elizabelle
@WereBear: Funny re Lecter.
I’m watching Red Dragon on cable in background.
Thought about the Benghazi hearings, but decided to stick with some smart villains for now.
ETA: Francis Dollarhyde has just met Reba McClane. Rather like the flick, although the violence against families and pets is too disturbing.
Body count higher than Benghazi! too.
Aleta
This is the mournful interview that Gowdy gave to Politico, which starts out:
Elizabelle
@Geeno: Stuffed Gowdy sounds more like something you might hang on a wall.
Of a closet.
bystander
Elijah Cummings is sweeping the floor with his Gowdiuum.
Amir Khalid
@Dork:
His full name is indeed Harold Watson Gowdy III.
Face
Uh…..nope.
Germy Shoemangler
Trey said to himself “I’ll keep these hearings going through the entire campaign, and find something outrageous in her email and then… then… I’ll be a hero!”
Several wingnut commenters on my local online news outlets insist Hillary was at fault because she refused to provide more security to the ambassadors, even though they begged her.
But isn’t that bullshit? Wasn’t she following the republican funding cuts? I confess I haven’t followed the story that closely.
raven
@Germy Shoemangler: It’s all bullshit and nothing is going to change one fucking mind.
Dork
@Amir Khalid: Please tell me this is snark. Please. Otherwise, he’s turned the douchenob to 11 with that name.
Can we call him Harry Gowdy from now on? Like Howdy Doody, only funnier and real.
Denali
Why would I listen to this waste air time/money/energy. I would definitely listen to the war crimes trial of Bush/Cheney. This alternate universe of false villains/scenerios has gotten very stale.
Amir Khalid
@Dork:
No snark. I looked him up on Wikipedia.
RaflW
Driftglass with the best hashtag for those of us twitterizering:
#PilloryClintonHearings
benw
@Amir Khalid: H. Gowdy is an anagram of “Why, God”? Also, if you Google “anagram”, at the top of the page you get:
Someone at Google has a sense of humor.
Germy Shoemangler
258 Americans died in Beirut, Hillary just reminded mr. gowdy.
“We learn, we adapt, we get stronger.”
D58826
Hillary jas been digging up quite a bit of GOP history.
Germy Shoemangler
Trey:
“I did not cut off your opening…”
He was told to be nice?
Germy Shoemangler
Roskam to HRC: “I can pause while you review notes from your staff…”
He’s a subtle devil!
Gin & Tonic
Top hed on my Google News feed right now: “Benghazi committee chairman defends its existence.”
What’s the line about how if you’re explaining, you’re losing?
rikyrah
You’re alone on a road with a broken car.
Some random car comes up to you.
Man in plainclothes – that you don’t know…approaches you…
AT THREE FUCKING O-CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
IN WHAT WORLD do you NOT try and find something to defend yourself with?
…………………………..
Shaun KingVerified account
@ShaunKing
Officer who shot #CoreyJones first shot him at Corey’s car. Corey then ran 40 yards to safety and was shot twice from behind while running.
jl
Maybe today will be Benghazi Day for the GOP! GOP doesn’t seem to be pumping out all the hype they did before the previous Benghazi Day (or were there several?).
Anyway, heard on the news the hearing may go on for 8 hours.
Heard a clip of Cummings’ opening statement explaining why it is very reasonable to interpret the hearing as a political stunt aimed at smearing HRC and Democrats in general. Then heard some political pundit say, in a way that sounded like he was spitting it out through clenched teeth, that ‘technically’ what Cummings said was true, but but but…
I’ll ignore it and read what happened later when the stupid circus is over.
GregB
I give Trey Gowdy credit for coming so far. From playing a banjo on a porch in the film Deliverence to becoming an esteemed member of the US Congress. Bravo!
Germy Shoemangler
@GregB: and he wasn’t even playing the banjo! Someone behind him reached around to play the banjo!
That’s oscar-worthy!
benw
@rikyrah:
In other words, “safety” doesn’t actually exist in the US if you are black.
D58826
Kind of funny listening to the GOP worry about the unanticipated consequences of American boots on the Ground and regime change.
Iowa Old Lady
@jl: Elijah Cummings is awesome.
maurinsky
Trey Gowdy’s profile is about a quarter inch from being Voldemort
Elizabelle
@Iowa Old Lady: Yes.
Great respect for Elijah Cummings. A velvet shiv, and voice for sanity.
Betty Cracker
@rikyrah: Here’s the thing: If the state is going to stupidly encourage you to arm yourself Wild West-style and “stand your ground,” representatives of the state should be held criminally liable if they summarily execute you for exercising your legal rights.
In my preferred world, civilians wouldn’t go around armed and cops wouldn’t be as jumpy. But this isn’t my preferred world; it’s Wayne LaPierre’s, and this case illustrates the deadly dilemma the stand your ground law creates.
Patricia Kayden
@Betty Cracker: So proud of my fellow Marylander, Elijah Cummings. I feel his righteous anger. I hope he’s takes every opportunity to tear Republicans a new one. This all needs to come to an end now. Enough.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Not watching, but…
kinda sums up the whole thing
Also, from what I’ve seen of Gowdy in the past few days, and what I’m seeing on twitter, anyone using “Blumenthal” in a drinking game will be dead before they adjourn
Germy Shoemangler
@Elizabelle:
I agree. But when I watch the nightly tv news, they don’t include his testimony. He makes them uncomfortable. They selectively edit, and I never see Cummings.
Germy Shoemangler
@Betty Cracker: They overdo the plain clothes thing. I thought that was just for extreme undercover work, going after drug kingpins. Not targeting random people waiting for triple A
jl
@Iowa Old Lady:In portion i heard, Cummings was pretty aggressive and detailed in pointing out ways the hearing flunks any reasonable test for being part of a serious investigation. Interesting that the pundit had to admit no ‘technical’ mistakes in what Cummings said, even though it conflicted with the pundit’s seemingly preferred, and cynical ‘bothsidesdoit’ narrative.
Would be interesting to see Cummings in a Democartic presidential debate. Maybe he should run a mini-campaign just to get an appearance at one of them.
yellowdog
@Elizabelle: Cummings may be gearing up for a run for the Senate in Maryland. He’s getting a lot of exposure from this whole committee kabuki. I hope he doesn’t run, though. I’m supporting Donna Edwards. But I certainly support what Cummings is doing to the GOP!
Matt McIrvin
@Dork: “Trey” means “III”.
Punchy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Who’ll be the first fool to deviate from the Benghazi script and start a tirade on Eghazi? Benmail?
When they quickly run out of things to tag her with, this committee WILL move on to servers and deletions and AOL accounts. They cant help themselves.
bystander
Pete Roskam: “Admit that you used your witchcraft to convince our weak minded, weak willed Kenyan to even be in Libya in the first place, you shrewish witch.”
Elizabelle
@yellowdog: We have a new blog hero!
Elijah Cummings, for the win.
The Benghazi! Committee, for the losers.
On commercial break from Red Dragon.
Don’t like this Brooks chick (out of Indiana?) They’ve sent her out on a few interview rounds — showing a woman is going after Shrillary too. The Committee represents America. She’s a pretty dim bulb. Whoever was interviewing yesterday almost cut her off with a “yeah, yeah, yeah … but.” She and Marcia Blackburn and all those toxic Republican babes are pretty awful.
To be really catty and mean: Congresscritter Brooks is permanented within an inch of her life.
jl
@Punchy: Since the committee itself, particularly Gowdy, is guilty of whatever security classification missteps they are accusing HRC of committing (which likely did occur in the bureaucratic nightmare of the security classification world), I expect Trump to start talking about why Gowdy and his staff have committed crimes, probably Very Serious crimes, and should probably be in jail
Elizabelle
@jl: Yeah.
I am finding The Trump quite helpful, honestly.
Bring him on!
jl
@Elizabelle: My comment was snark, though, sadly. The committee has repeatedly made the same sort of minor security classification goofs HRC and her staff are being accused of committing, but I doubt the double standard will ever be noted prominently in the opinionating world, and Trump would never say anything like that.
Edit: But is true that Trump, for whatever reason, has blown huge gaping holes in the GOP con. That is the silver lining of a nutcase like Trump leading in the polls, since they have to pay attention to him, and the press has permission, being a GOPer to take him seriously when he states obviously true things that are inconvenient for the GOP long con.
Ben
@Germy Shoemangler: This. He looks like a meth head that got a new suit and a haircut for his court date.
Germy Shoemangler
The trolls on the youtube livestream are busy. And despicable. One of them commented “chimpout” during Cummings’ statements.
After that, they’ve been repeating RW talking points like professionals.
gelfling545
@Geeno: Heavens! Not with fish! And this investigation is nothing if not fishy.
Germy Shoemangler
@Ben:
Holy shit, you nailed it.
In my neck of the woods, all sorts of swamp rats like him show up in court, with similar looks. Their lawyers always make sure the white supremacist tattoos are well covered. And yes, the strip mall “hot cuts” salon people are busy with the makeovers.
Elizabelle
@jl: Missed the snark. Thanks.
Did hear The Trump saying he’d rather run against Hillary than Biden yesterday. In his dreams. On so many levels.
Patricia Kayden
@Germy Shoemangler: Why are you torturing yourself like that? Never read the comments!!
Cummings’ opening statement was powerful. I hope this is the last televised investigation we have to endure on this matter.
jl
@Elizabelle: I think Biden, HRC and Sanders would all beat Trump by a healthy margin. Trump is delusional.
WereBear
That’s what you sign up for when it’s a serial killer flick. However, I found the original book deeply moving and with plenty of empathy.
Peale
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: LOL. Seriously – attack Blumenthal. Very few people remember him. He rubs everyone the wrong way, sure, but I’m sure he’s enjoying being viewed as a secret power. I hope Hillary responds with “Just because I’m secretary of state doesn’t mean I have to stop taking calls from my friends.”
Elizabelle
@WereBear: Yeah, I liked the book too. Def empathetic. Find those types of novels far more moving.
Stopped reading Thomas Harris after “Hannibal” because his books were moving toward pornography of violence.
D58826
Hillary is being questioned about a couple of staffers gossiping in an e-mail. THE SMOKING GUN (sigh)
Brachiator
Can’t watch the hearings, but they sound interesting. I can’t see the Republicans getting anywhere with this. Hope to catch some clips of Cummings later on; the reports on his remarks make him seem like a true voice of reason.
Peale
@D58826: Next up – the find that Hillary was talking trash in the fantasy football league and complaining that the commissioner blocked her trade. During.work.hours.
D58826
The congresswoman is very concerned that Hillary can not account for every comment made by the 70k employees at State.
JPL
@Brachiator: Since Cummings is a voice of reason, MSM will ignore them.
ShadeTail
@maurinsky: No, Gowdy is more like Lucious Malfoy, or maybe even Peter Pettigrew. He’s the useful tool, not the actual leader.
maurinsky
@ShadeTail: I meant in noselessness, not in power!
Betty Cracker
@ShadeTail: Close. He’s Draco:
Cervantes
@Cermet:
Which came first, the Committee’s insinuations or its investigations?
What is Chicken Little’s favorite game?
Why did Trey Gowdy cross the road?
trollhattan
O/T but holy crap.
Aleta
When someone put up line graphs, I wish Clinton would ask him to explain some of the details, such as the units of measurement or why a rate of increase appears constant or not, or start values at the axes or anything else, to see if the questioner has any idea of how the graph was made.
JPL
Sanchez just showed the Pompeo clip with Andrea Mitchell.
Iowa Old Lady
I have to go write, but so far HRC is kicking butt and looking presidential.
JPL
@trollhattan: I saw that earlier. It’s always sad to lose a soldier, but I’m glad that many hostages were freed. Gowdy will conduct hearings shortly about how to prevent further deaths.
Betty Cracker
@Iowa Old Lady: Good to hear. I had to stop watching after the opening statements so I could get some work done. Looking forward to HRC’s interview with Maddow tomorrow!
trollhattan
@JPL:
Also, too, Obama: still feckless and why did Hillary not supply our troops with body armor?
Amir Khalid
@Iowa Old Lady:
I’ve not been watching much of the YouTube livestream — the hearing itself is not very exciting. The Grauniad’s liveblog seems a better option for me. I’m glad you have a presidential candidate who can conduct herself like a president.
Bobby Thomson
She seems to have not not used email a little more in 2011.
JPL
@Amir Khalid: She just shot down Rep. Jordan’s attack on her.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JPL: Twitter suggests Jordan went deep derp. (WP accepts “derp” heh). I’m sure I’ll see it on Hayes or Maddow later. Tweety may be worth watching tonight.
OT: I knew Dave Weigel was a Paulite, but this is actually embarrassing
Yes, I’m sure that’s what’s been hold Son Of Ron down in the low single digits.
yellowdog
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Do tell! Details please.
JPL
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: He called her a liar.
JPL
Gowdy is once again defending his existence.
Amir Khalid
It seems Harold Watson Gowdy triple-aye and his Select Committee haven’t managed to lay a glove on Hillary. She only looks all the more formidable.
JPL
Holy.. Crap.. Gowdy just got nailed by Cummings and Schiff.
GregB
Breaking News:
The chicken that Trey Gowdy is fucking has died.
D58826
The committee has broken for for lunch. Ugly exchange over Blumenthal’s e-mails. According to the chairmen Blumenthal will be the primary topic this afternoon.
JPL
@D58826: Unless the transcript is released, Gowdy is going to continue to look like the hack that he is.
Cacti
At least Jim Jordan was nice enough dispense with any pretense of an investigation:
“Let me tell you what I think happened…”
JPL
The odds are pretty good, that the Democratic members walk away from the witch hunt after today, imo.
MazeDancer
Pompeo and Jordan will be wingnut heroes.
Elijah lowering the hammer on Trey was worth sitting through the other hours. Cummings and Schiff were beautiful.
If Gowdy spends 5 more hours on Sidney Blumenthal, he has no hope of his witch hunt look anything but a witch hunt.
SurlyDuff
This hearing is an absolute shit-show.
West of the Cascades
@JPL: I’m not sure I understand parliamentary procedure in a committee hearing (and am confident Trey Gowdy does not), but it seems there’s a pending motion that’s been seconded with a call for a recorded vote on the table. The chairman has said that will be deferred to a subsequent committee meeting. Does anyone have any idea whether the Democratic members of the committee can force this issue (or at least continue to make Gowdy look defensive and like a justice-obstructor by continuing to push for an immediate vote on releasing Blumenthal’s transcript?).
Paul in KY
@trollhattan: Rather this than drones.
Bokonn
I think it is actually Gowdy’s strategy to focus on something impenetrable and boring like Blumenthal.
Gowdy knows a lot of people won’t see the actual hearings – they will just see the sound bites that come out of it, and hear the characterizations of it made by Gowdy and other participants. This so-called investigation has served as an attack factory of that kind all the way along, where the substance and the propoganda lines are almost totally separate.
So – expect Gowdy to walk out of the hearing with guns blazing, and calling Hillary an untrustworthy lying and cowardly sack who has knifed America’s diplomatic corp and soldiers in the back. Expect that REGARDLESS of what actually happens today, regardless of how badly Gowdy and his crew embarasses themselves, regardless of how badly the whole farce goes down.
And expect a large piece of the media to go along with the characterizations, not the substance.
D58826
@Bokonn: L. O’Donnell theory is the gop is tyrying to sell the story line that Sid pulled Hillary’s strings and Hillary pulled Obama’s strings and Obama was just stupid.
Amir Khalid
@D58826:
I don’t understand the obsession with emails from Sidney Blumenthal to Hillary. Blumenthal is, and was at all material times, a private citizen. Where would he get hold of classified info to send to Hillary?
Bokonn
@D58826:
An impenetrable wingnut conspiracy theory. Perfect!
And then the media will fudge on this, and they will replay the soundbites of nicely groomed GOP politicians repeating their deeply held and sincere concerns about Hillary holding back the truth, and the American public needing answers about this Blumenthal guy, blah blah blah.
And out of all this theater and jaw-jaw-jaw, the public will hear “Hillary … liar … incompetent … dishonest.”
Short of butchering a goat on live TV, how bad does Gowdy and his mob have to behave in order to break this cycle?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Good god
Cause it’s all about substance and security
@Bokonn: I can hear, in my head, Ted Cruz, Trump, McCain, Graham, Bush, all righteously invoking the name “Sidney Blumenthal” as proof that… something. I think it was O’Donnell saying the new line is gonna be “Sid Blumenthal had her email, Chris Stevens didn’t.” Cause if he had emailed HRC during the attack.. something… VICTORY!
. I think the only question is how long before some goober asks what they’re gonna do about that Jewish fella that did the Bengahzi
Other MSNBC related observation: Sarah Paulsen made Nicole Wallace look a lot smarter than Nicole Wallace does.
Peale
@D58826: I was kind of hoping that they’d insinuate some kind of unnatural relationship with Sid and Hillary. If I recall correctly, sitting in a tree and k-i-s-s-i-n-g is enough to send our press to the fainting couches.
Peale
@Amir Khalid: I think they’re going to try to get her to denounce her most loyal insiders. Hence bringing in Huma.
Bokonon
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
It is all part of this “X Files” narrative the GOP loves to keep serving up to their loyal consumers. The truth is out there … scary, bad people … conspiracies … you can never grasp exactly what happened, but it is BAD, and the Democrats are OUT TO GET YOU! Forget logic and substance. We are talking narratives and storylines and feelings here. Frank Luntz’s presence in the hearing room just underscores that this is what the GOP is concocting.
And that’s how someone like Hillary Clinton can be painted simultaneously as a sniveling lying incompetent and a power hungry, roaring monster megalomaniac kiiller at the same time. I mean, haven’t we all seen a fictional character like that on TV or in the movies? Like the EPA bureaucrat in Ghostbusters? Narrative, baby … narrative.
Juju
@Betty Cracker: Every time I see Goudy, for some reason I hear that music from the movie “Deliverance”.
Hal
On and on and on about those four dead “American patriots” for 3+ years, and the afternoon portion of this hearing is about Sidney Blumenthal? A guy no one knows about (let alone cares) from a hole in the wall unless you are a political wonk.
Bokonon
@Hal:
I know … I know … I’ve got it! Sid Blumenthal is history’s greatest monster! He killed four American patriots with an e-mail!
mai naem mobile
I’m guessing 80 percent of Americans have no idea where Benghazi is or what happened in Benghazi, and if asked who Chris Stevens is/was, would say he was a reality show star/a rock star/a boy band member/Netflix series actor/a stand up comedian or a local morning show weather guy. Ambassador won’t even make it in the top ten answers.
mai naem mobile
@Juju: You think of the music from Deliverance, I think of the music from Benny Hill.
Stillwater
This Pompeo fellow is sure confirming what all the conservatives seem intent on denying: that this is a prosecution.
That much hostility could only come from a place of having already determined Clinton’s guilt. Well, that or it’s politically motivated…
JPL
Hillary’s statement on the deaths of those in Benghazi was heartbreaking. Of course, Gowdy went off script and blamed the training of military to fight ISIS.
Bokonon
@mai naem mobile:
That’s a feature, not a bug. When Stevens is a cipher, the GOP can paint him in whatever hysterical bonkers terms they want. Same as the general confusion they have spread around about what happened (while claiming they are just trying to get the facts).
gene108
@D58826:
Rumor mongering worked very well for the GOP in the 1990’s.
This is basically what happened with Whitewater, in 1993 and 1994 and it worked very well for the Republicans 20 years ago.
People picked up on sound bites and decided Bill Clinton was untrustworthy and therefore we’d be better off with Republicans in charge of the House.
In short, even if the shit they throw at Hillary Clinton’s “wall” does not stick, there’s still a big pile of stinky poo on the floor, which has dripped down from the wall, and any casual passer by will note Hillary “stinks”, her business is “covered in shit”, etc.
The media will enable them by stating, why does Hillary “stink”, or “did you see her ‘floor’ it is covered in shit, what is she hiding?:”
And it will be Whitewater all over again.
But hopefully, with (1) Republicans proving themselves incompetent at governance and (2) the rise of the internet to counter the Narrative, people will not buy into the hype as quickly.
jl
@Bokonon:
” painted simultaneously as a sniveling lying incompetent and a power hungry, roaring monster megalomaniac kiiller at the same time. I mean, haven’t we all seen a fictional character like that on TV or in the movies? ”
NOBAMA!!!!
Amir Khalid
As far as I can tell, no new information has come to light in this hearing. Secretary Hillary doesn’t seem one whit more culpable over what happened in Benghazi than she was the last half-dozen times a House committee went over this matter. No one has caught her in a lie or even an inaccurate recollection. She is only going to come out of this looking stronger, and that is surely not what the Republican party wanted.
Iowa Old Lady
@Stillwater: He’s the guy I heard Andrea Mitchell interviewing. He claimed Hillary got all her intelligence info from Blumenthal. It was so stupid, that even Mitchell was driven to say that was “factually incorrect.”
D58826
Hillary, state and Obama were concerned about the politics of things in Libya. Surely never happened it the history of Washington.
MazeDancer
Pompeo wanting the Secretary of State – not actual security experts – to personally determine all aspects of security at all outposts was second in stupidity only to Roskam’s “how dare you pushy woman discuss publicity with your press secretary” rant.
Do these GOP people hate each other so much they have no central advisors to tell them at breaks how badly they look?
Juju
@mai naem mobile: I can see that, but I’d almost be willing to pay Goudy big bucks to see him say something along the line of, ” You sho have purty lips.”
jl
@Amir Khalid:
” As far as I can tell, no new information has come to light in this hearing. ”
I heard news report yesterday the committee found more emails from Christopher Stevens asking for more security, or complaining about not enough resources for security, some of which are expressed as rueful jokes. Story didn’t say that these emails were sent to HRC, or other depts in charge of security.
Anyway, that was the ‘new information’ they were talking about yesterday.
I don’t understand what that adds, since tight budgets for security were a big problem that everyone know about and everyone involved discussed at the time, and that has been hashed over repeatedly. And note they were tight because of tightwad GOP House.
sara
Trey Gowdy = Howdy Doody