Last updated on June 6th, 2014 at 12:53 am
How many times can Republicans get caught making things up in their desperation to politicize this tragedy before Joe Scarborough gives up on them? It takes a naked, desperate cash grab based on the tragic death of four Americans for Joe to say enough.
Calling Republican fundraising over the death of four Americans in Benghazi “disgusting”, Joe Scarborough charged on Morning Joe Thursday morning that Republicans have “have undermined the credibility of this committee.”
Yup. Republicans have lost even Joe Scarborough on Benghazi, by being so cravenly desperate and political about their approach as to raise money off of murder.
Watch here:
They opened discussing Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who is leading a House committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks, cautioning Republicans against using the Benghazi tragedy to raise money yesterday.
Before Gowdy even got the words out of his mouth, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) sent out requests for cash, claiming the party to be a “Benghazi Watchdog”. They asked for donations ranging between $25.00 and $500.00. In other words, they’re all in with craven politicizing of a tragedy.
This action disgusted the Morning Joe hosts and panel. A panelist noted, “All it takes is one email to show the other side that this is indeed a political exercise, they want to raise money off of this issue.”
Joe Scarborough charged, “They (Republicans) have undermined the credibility of this committee and they need to clean it up and promise they are not going to do it again. Over four dead Americans, American Ambassador, over 25 dollar donations to the NRCC. I mean give me a break. It’s disgusting.”
Eugene Robinson, “Give me a break, I mean this is really is hideous. If Republicans expect this investigation to be taken seriously at all and not seen as the most naked of political exercises to animate the Republican base in advance of the election, look, there are a lot of Democrats out there saying this is all political saying this is all getting votes and contributions.”
Joe and Mika remained disgusted with the Republican dirty money cash grab… but why?
Republicans politicized the Benghazi tragedy from the moment it occurred. Mitt Romney smirked his way through an early, inappropriate presser on the attacks – he, who knew nothing, rushed to the microphones for the sole purpose of using the attacks to win an election. That failed.
If Republicans really wanted the truth, they wouldn’t have cherry picked who they allowed on TV, nor would they keep the actual experts from testifying on TV. It was Republicans who leaked intel and jeopardized more lives in their attempts to “investigate” Benghazi. Republicans have already leaked emails that were deliberately and deceptively edited in order to suggest that the Obama administration changed talking points to protect the State Department.
Also, if this were a genuine truth getting mission, Republicans would have investigated the many unfortunate attacks on consulates, outposts and Embassies prior to Benghazi, like the “thirteen Benghazis” that took place under Bush’s watch. Or maybe they’d take a look at Republican refusal to fund Libya and embassy security as requested by the State Department.
Republicans act like the Benghazi attacks were not a tragic accident (the sort that happens during wars and uprisings in unstable areas), while the war they started on a lie should not be investigated at all because it was totally an accident and that’s the “past”.
But I could make a case that if we had not invaded a sovereign nation on a lie, while many extremists would hate us anyway, it would have been a lot harder to drum up the massive amount of anti-American sentiment needed for recruitment to terrorist organizations. The same thinking applies to Gitmo and our use of torture. So in truth, if Republicans really want to investigate Benghazi, we would have to go back to the decision to invade Iraq, and our subsequent decisions to deny the very things this country is supposed to stand for — like trial rights, in addition to our decisions to use ineffective and illegal torture methods as a purported gateway (one that experts agree does not work) to intel gathering. Why is it that these very unAmerican events are of no interest to Republicans?
A little accountability would be a good thing for Republicans.
But meanwhile, they are fundraising on the tragic deaths of four Americans, with no regard for the families, or the political beliefs of the slain.
If they really cared about the deaths of these four human beings, they would not be fundraising off of them. And that’s how Joe Scarborough, a true believer in many Republican conspiracies, finally came to be disgusted with Republicans over their Benghazigasm. Shame, shame, shame.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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