During an appearance on Sunday’s Meet the Press, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell complained to House Benghazi committee member Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) as to why “have you focused to much on e-mails and not on the central question of why was the security failure at that consulate?”
The MSNBC host dismissed the committee’s chosen witnesses and wondered why “did you call Sid Blumenthal and Huma Abedin and all of these other personal aides and non-aides?” to Hillary Clinton?
For his part, Congressman Pompeo pushed back against Mitchell’s statement and explained that the different witnesses were central to the Benghazi investigation:
Well, we have focused on the central failure. We have focused on the security issues, and we’ll continue, you'll see lots of questions about that on Thursday. Let me speak to Mr. Blumenthal. It goes directly to the security issue. We see now the former secretary relied on Mr. Blumenthal for most of her intelligence.
Mitchell seemed visually upset with Pompeo’s statement about Blumenthal’s influence on Clinton and proclaimed “That is factually not correct” before the two engaged in a brief back-and-forth:
MITCHELL: That is factually not correct.
POMPEO: It absolutely factually correct.
MITCHELL: Relied on Mr. Blumenthal for most of her intelligence?
POMPEO: Ms. Mitchell, take a look at the e-mails trails and you’ll see--
MITCHELL: I cover the State Department. That is just factually not correct and I’ve been as tough on this issue as anyone.
Despite Mitchell’s claim that she’s been “as tough on this issue [Benghazi] as anyone,” NewsBusters has documented several instances in which the NBC reporter has dismissed the committee’s legitimacy:
On October 12, Mitchell rushed to promote how fired Benghazi staffer had given Hillary a “lifeline”
On October 1, Mitchell asked what Republicans were really “up to” with the Benghazi committee
On August 12, Mitchell claimed that Clinton’s critics “just want to see conspiracy theories” in her e-mails
On March 6, Mitchell joined Democrats in dismissing Benghazi “witch hunt”
On May 22, 2014 Mitchell asked Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) “why even play the game” of GOP’s Benghazi “witch hunt?"
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Meet the Press
October 18, 2015
ANDREA MITCHELL: Congressman, how long for this final report? Is it going to be in the middle of 2016? Is it going to be after the election?
MIKE POMPEO: That's a great question, Andrea. Maybe Mr. Schiff can answer that for you. We'll complete our task --
MITCHELL: Let me just follow up here--
ADAM SCHIFF: The reason there's no answer to that question Andrea is that we don't know what we're looking for. We can't put an end date on it because we don't know what this committee is supposed to look for. Apart from damaging Hillary Clinton, it has no reason for existence.
MITCHELL: Let’s just say, if the reason for existence is to find out did Hillary Clinton -- did Hillary Clinton make a grievous error in not following up security complaints, how could she tell the various investigating committees that that was below her, that it never reached her level? That could be a legitimate reason. But why, then, do you call Sid Blumenthal and Huma Abedin and all of these other personal aides and non-aides? Why have you focused so much on e-mails and not on the central question of why was the security failure at that consulate?
POMPEO: Well, we have focused on the central failure. We have focused on the security issues, and we’ll continue, you'll see lots of questions about that on Thursday. Let me speak to Mr. Blumenthal. It goes directly to the security issue. We see now the former secretary relied on Mr. Blumenthal for most of her intelligence. That is, she was relying --
MITCHELL: That is factually not correct.
POMPEO: It absolutely factually correct.
MITCHELL: Relied on Mr. Blumenthal for most of her intelligence?
POMPEO: Ms. Mitchell, take a look at the e-mails trails and you’ll see--
MITCHELL: I cover the State Department. That is just factually not correct and I’ve been as tough on this issue as anyone.
