Fox's Latest Benghazi Hoax Used As Justification For Wasteful Select Committee

Fox News' upcoming special report on Benghazi, which examines questions that have already been answered repeatedly by multiple congressional and independent investigations, is being used by Benghazi Select Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) to justify the establishment of his redundant select committee.

The special, titled “13 Hours at Benghazi” and hosted by Special Report's Bret Baier on September 5, is slated to explore “Whether or not military assistance was requested by the security team and whether orders from above hindered their response to the violence that claimed the lives of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.” A Special Report segment teased the special by highlighting the reaction of congressional lawmakers including Benghazi Select Committee Chair Gowdy, who said in a press release:

[I]n response to recent reports from security personnel on the ground in Benghazi:

“The Committee has heard of these concerns and they go to the heart of why Congress established this Committee--to determine all of the facts of what happened in Benghazi before, during and after the terrorist attack that day. We welcome the opportunity, and expect, to talk to personnel who were on the ground in Benghazi, their superiors, and anyone with relevant information related to the Benghazi terrorist attack. There are still facts to learn about Benghazi and information that needs to be explained in greater detail to the American people. And this Committee will do just that.”

As the Daily Beast's Eli Lake explained, on the night of the attacks there was a 23-minute delay between the initial distress call from the diplomatic facility in Benghazi and when the CIA contractors from the nearby CIA Annex departed to rescue the Americans there. Despite suggestions from some in the intelligence community that this delay hindered their rescue effort, repeated investigations found no evidence that the CIA operatives were delayed by “orders from above,” as Fox's announcement suggests.

Select Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) noted in a press release that this question has already been investigated and answered by multiple congressional committee in the House and Senate. 

The State Department's independent Accountability Review Board also found that the CIA team “was not delayed by orders from superiors  ... despite a brief delay to permit their continuing efforts, that rapid support from local security elements was not forthcoming.”

In July, the Associated Press reported that the Select Committee on Benghazi could cost up to $3.3 million on its own. The multiple Benghazi investigations have already cost the Pentagon millions of dollars. But it seems that no cost is too much to further the Fox-fueled Benghazi Hoax.