Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said today that with all the focus on the nomination of Chuck Hagel for Defense secretary — which he opposes — he’s not losing sight of the other nod announced yesterday.
President Obama tapped his counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to serve as the next director of the CIA.
Graham said this is a prime opportunity to hold the White House’s feet to the fire on Benghazi by holding his nominee hostage.
“I have not forgotten about the Benghazi debacle and still have many questions about what transpired before, during and after the attack on our consulate,” Graham said. “In that regard, I do not believe we should confirm anyone as Director of the CIA until our questions are answered – like who changed Ambassador Susan Rice’s talking points and deleted the references to Al-Qaeda? My support for a delay in confirmation is not directed at Mr. Brennan, but is an unfortunate, yet necessary action to get information from this Administration.”
The senator noted his repeated attempts to get myriad answers from the administration on the attack, requests that have all been refused.
“We were first told the Director of National Intelligence deleted the Al-Qaeda reference in the talking points because they did not want to let al Qaeda know we were monitoring them. We were then told the FBI changed the talking points so as not to compromise an ongoing criminal investigation. Finally, during a meeting with Ambassador Rice and acting-CIA Director Morrell, I was told it was the FBI who changed the talking points. However, later in the day the clarified it was the CIA who had changed the talking points,” Graham said.
“This ever-changing story should be resolved. It is imperative we understand who changed the talking points just weeks before a presidential election and why. The stonewalling on Benghazi by the Obama Administration must come to an end.”
While he’s at it, Lindsey Graham should expose Brennan’s involvement with tampering with O’s passport files in the State Dept. in 2008, when Brennan was O’s “intelligence advisor” and was also CEO of The Analysis Corp, a company cited as being a culprit in the “passport affair”. At that time, Condi Rice took the fire and the fall for it, when it doubtless was done by means of one of O’s own campaign advisors (Brennan). Some believe it was done to make info disappear pertaining to a visit O made to Pakistan in 1981. So, the joke was on Condi Rice, who profusely apologized to O. But it’s not a joke, is it? Brennan is now about to become CIA director, unless someone with a whole heap of courage exposes Brennan’s involvement in the “passport affair” and draws pertinent conclusions.
yada yada yada
This is delicious irony. In my opinion, the whole Hagel-Brennan thing was nothing but a smoke screen and distraction to take our attention away from Benghazi.
The most critical role of Congress, the one that requires their solemn oath as a prerequisite to being delegated any government authority is to ‘preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. It is the role that Congress ignores.
This president has suborned US laws regarding bankruptcy, commercial liability, whistle-blower protection, immigration, energy development, voter rights, gun sales, recess appointments, and has unilaterally and un-Constitutionally committed US combat forces in six African countries: none of which has he been held accountable. This is intolerable.
The stone-walling on Benghazi is likewise intolerable not only because it resulted in the murder of 4 Americans, but more importantly because it is key in the arming of the radical Islamist forces that have destroyed the stability in the Middle East. We need to know who placed that objective above American lives.
Does Graham really want so much to be lied to for hours?
God bless Lindsey Graham, a brave man who fought and suffered for America. His noble military service puts that of poseurs Kerry and Hagel to shame.