Suddenly worried about government spending, the Thursday edition of ABC’s World News Tonight featured anchor David Muir complaining on three separate occasions about the cost of the House Select Committee on Benghazi while chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl observed that Republicans “really didn’t succeed” in “draw[ing] blood” from Hillary Clinton.
Muir wasted no time harping on the price tag for investigating the deadly 2012 terror attack in Benghazi, Libya as he hyped in the show’s first tease: “Tonight, Hillary Clinton and the fireworks. Tough questions on her e-mails, on Benghazi and the moment members of Congress start fighting right in front of her. As we ask tonight, how much has the American taxpayer spent on the 17-month investigation?”
Before handing off to Karl for a segment on the high-profile hearing, Muir lamented that Democrats were “furious today” at their Republican colleagues while the Committee now has lasted “17 months and nearly $5 million in taxpayer money on this investigation.”
Karl started off friendly towards Clinton, describing her as “all smiles” going before “the committee that she’s accused of being on a partisan witch hunt” in a hearing that he determined included Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) being found on the “defensive” while Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings (Md.) was “on the attack.”
In one area that Karl deserves kudos, he was the lone network reporter to mention a very revealing new piece of information that Republican Congressman Jim Jordan (Ohio) divulged during the hearing:
Republicans released a never before seen e-mail Mrs. Clinton wrote on that very night of the deadly attack. It was addressed to Diane Reynolds. The name she used for e-mails sent to her daughter, Chelsea. “Two of our officers were killed in Benghazi by an al-Qaeda-linked group.” That's quite different than what the Obama administration said in the days after the attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Steven and that is was a spontaneous protest over an anti-Islamic video that grew violent.
The ABC correspondent also included this soundbite of Jordan slamming Clinton: “You tell the American people one thing. You tell your family an entirely different story. Why didn't you just speak plain to the American people?”
Referring to comments made by Republican Congresswoman Susan Brooks (Ind.), Karl added: “Republicans came with printouts of Clinton's e-mails related to Libya and asked why there were so few in the months before the attack, implying that she was not paying attention.”
>> Find my posts on the Benghazi Committee coverage from CBS and NBC here and here <<
The tone of the reporting shifted back to the left when Karl spoke live with Muir as the latter ABC personality held up the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll about how voters feel about the committee: “[T]here was something else very telling. 53 percent of Americans say they also believe this committee is out to damage her reputation.”
Speaking to how the Clinton campaign reacted to the hearing, Karl spun some talking points:
Well, her team seem quite pleased with how things went today and if Republicans were hoping to draw blood, they really didn't succeed. In the face of relentless questioning, Hillary Clinton was calm, she was sober, she was substantive. When they tried to engage her in political fights, she simply didn't take the bait.
Playing off of that, Muir again whined about government money being spent to investigate a terrorist attack: “And Jon, we reported the numbers at the top. 17 months now, costing taxpayers nearly $5 million. We heard two Democrats, that familiar Democratic argument today, why only Hillary Clinton testifying? They asked, where’s the head of the CIA? Where's the secretary of defense?”
While Cummings, Muir, and others have repeatedly brought up this concern on Thursday, they all neglected to consider how the federal government spends millions on wasteful projects. In a piece Thursday evening, Elizabeth Harrington of the Washington Free Beacon explained that a combined $5.9 million has gone to projects involving “Origami condoms” and studies on obese lesbians. In contrast, the 17-month-old Benghazi Committee’s current pricetag is $4.8 million.
The relevant portions of the transcript from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on October 22 can be found below.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
October 22, 2015
6:30 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: In the Hot Seat]
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, Hillary Clinton and the fireworks. Tough questions on her e-mails, on Benghazi and the moment members of Congress start fighting right in front of her. As we ask tonight, how much has the American taxpayer spent on the 17-month investigation?
(....)
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: In the Hot Seat]
MUIR: And let's get right to it. Hillary Clinton testifying at this hour. More than eight hours now since she began answering questions, asked about what led up to that deadly day in Benghazi. Did she do enough to protect Americans? But after 17 months and nearly $5 million in taxpayer money on this investigation, Democrats furious today. Questioners began bickers with each other as Secretary Clinton watched. It all began this morning as she left her Washington home, her husband, former President Bill Clinton sending her off. Tonight, here, the key points. We what never heard before, including the e-mail that Chelsea Clinton, using an alias for her daughter. How she described that attack in Benghazi to Chelsea and here’s ABC's chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: In the Hot Seat; Clinton Grilled over Benghazi]
JONATHAN KARL: Hillary Clinton was all smiles as she became the committee that she’s accused of being on a partisan witch hunt. With huge crowds lining the hallways outside, from the start, the Republican Chairman was defensive...and the top Democrat on the attack.
(....)
KARL: Republicans released a never before seen e-mail Mrs. Clinton wrote on that very night of the deadly attack. It was addressed to Diane Reynolds. The name she used for e-mails sent to her daughter, Chelsea. “Two of our officers were killed in Benghazi by an al-Qaeda-linked group.” That's quite different than what the Obama administration said in the days after the attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Steven and that is was a spontaneous protest over an anti-Islamic video that grew violent.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN JIM JORDAN (Ohio): You tell the American people one thing. You tell your family an entirely different story. Why didn't you just speak plain to the American people?
(....)
KARL: Republicans came with printouts of Clinton's e-mails related to Libya and asked why there were so few in the months before the attack, implying that she was not paying attention.
(....)
MUIR: Jon, you were right there in the room today and that new ABC News poll. A majority of Americans saying before today, they disapproved of how Mrs. Clinton handled questions about this, but there was something else very telling. 53 percent of Americans say they also believe this committee is out to damage her reputation. So, Jon, in the middle of a presidential campaign, what are you hearing tonight? How does her team think she's done so far?
KARL: Well, her team seem quite pleased with how things went today and if Republicans were hoping to draw blood, they really didn't succeed. In the face of relentless questioning, Hillary Clinton was calm, she was sober, she was substantive. When they tried to engage her in political fights, she simply didn't take the bait.
MUIR: And Jon, we reported the numbers at the top. 17 months now, costing taxpayers nearly $5 million. We heard two Democrats, that familiar Democratic argument today, why only Hillary Clinton testifying? They asked, where’s the head of the CIA? Where's the secretary of defense?
