If there's one thing Chris Wallace at Fox News does well that most others in the press don't — at least when interviewing Democrats and liberals — it's his refusal to let a question go until his interviewee either answers it or makes it obvious to viewers that he or she won't answer.
Such an incident took place today with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Fox News Sunday (video is here). The question, which I strongly doubt was even broached on any of the left-leaning Sunday talk shows today, concerned why the Obama administration hasn't been able to apprehend the September 11, 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack ringleader (bolds are mine):
WALLACE: Finally, Wednesday marks one year since the terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. The day after in the Rose Garden, the president promised to bring the killers to justice. But while our government has charged Abd Ahmed Abu Khattala as one of the people involved in this, there's been no arrest, while at the same time Khattala has given interviews to CNN, to A.P. and to The New York Times.
Why is it that reporters seem to be able to find this guy, who the government is charging for involvement in Benghazi, but our law enforcement can't find him?
MCDONOUGH: Look, we've been very clear that we will hold those people who carried out this dastardly, heinous attack against our people to account.
WALLACE: It's been a year, sir.
MCDONOUGH: It has been a year. And you know what the United States does, Chris? Is we track every lead until we find and can accomplish what we say we will do? This president --
WALLACE: Why can't we find Khattala when The A.P. can?
MCDONOUGH: This president has demonstrated that. And we will do that.
WALLACE: Again, finally, not to belabor it, but why can A.P. find him? Why can the New York Times find him, and not our government?
MCDONOUGH: The United States government does what it says. And we will do what we say in this instance. As we do in every other instance, Chris. I have no doubt about that.
WALLACE: Mr. McDonough, we want to thank you so much for coming today. It should be an interesting week.
MCDONOUGH: Thanks for having me, Chris.
WALLACE: And tomorrow, we'll continue the discussion about Syria when I sit down with President Obama at the White House.
Even a brain-dead zombie can tell that Mr. McDonough was refusing to answer a very straightforward question, and to conclude that it's because he didn't have one.
Here's hoping that Wallace doesn't set the bulldog attitude aside with the guy who apparently believes that Benghazi is a "phony scandal." You can almost bet the house that no one else will.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
