Poll: Majority back new Benghazi probe
Washington (CNN) - Around half the public says they support another congressional investigation into the Benghazi attack, according to a new national poll.
The reason?
The ABC News/Washington Post survey indicates that nearly six in ten say the Obama administration has tried to cover up the facts on the September 11, 2012 attack, which left U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead.
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As for Hillary Clinton, half of those questioned in the poll, which was released Tuesday, say they disapprove of how then-secretary of state handled the attack.
What's behind stepped up Republican attacks on Clinton
Steven's death was the first time a U.S. ambassador had been killed on duty in more than 30 years. The Benghazi attack has become a partisan flashpoint around the Obama administration's conduct of foreign policy. Republicans have sharply criticized the administration's handling of the matter from security preparations beforehand, to its response during the attack, and its slow-to-evolve public explanation after-the-fact.
And they have targeted the State Department, and especially Clinton, who is seriously considering a second run for the White House. If Clinton decides to launch a campaign, she'd instantly become the overwhelming front runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
According to the poll, 51% say they support another congressional investigation, with 42% saying the incident's been investigated enough already. As you can imagine, the survey indicates a wide partisan divide. Seventy-two percent of Republicans questioned say they back the new investigation, but that number drops to 52% among independents and just 31% among Democrats.
Fifty-eight percent say the Obama administration has tried to cover up the facts, with 32% saying it has honestly disclosed what it knows about what happened in Benghazi. Again there's a large partisan gap, with 84% of Republicans, 65% of independents, but only 30% of Democrats saying the administration has tried to cover things up.
Half of those questioned say they disapprove of how Clinton handled the attack, with 37% saying the approve. Once again, there's a partisan divide, with 78% of Republicans, 58% of independents, but only 22% of Democrats giving the former secretary of state a thumbs down on how she handled the incident.
Clinton testified about the attack last year in front of House and Senate hearings. But Republicans say there are still questions left unanswered.
Clinton said earlier this year that Benghazi was her biggest regret during the four years she served as America's top diplomat.
"It was a terrible tragedy losing four Americans, two diplomats and now it is public so I can say two CIA operatives," Clinton said at a speech in New Orleans.
With the much anticipated release of "Hard Choices," Clinton's memoir of her years as American's top diplomat, just a week away, GOP attacks on her have increased.
Last week the chapter of the book that deals with Benghazi was leaked. As reported by Politico, the chapter highlights Clinton's defense of how she responded to the attack, as well as criticism of Republicans who Clinton says play politics with the deadly assault.
In the chapter, Clinton writes, "As Secretary I was the one ultimately responsible for my people's safety, and I never felt that responsibility more deeply than I did that day."
Clinton, writing in "Hard Choices," also appeared to suggest that she won't take part in the investigation or any of the committee's hearings.
"I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans," Clinton writes. "It's just plain wrong, and it's unworthy of our great country. Those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me," wrote Clinton.
CNN Senior Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh contributed to this story
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Ed, I thought he was a dictator this week, lmao, Lizzie, maybe they're with the 4500 soldiers that were killed in Iraq, and Afghanistan. Fools, one and all, God bless them.
"The US has returned a deserter."
Really? Why don't you give us all a rundown of his trial and conviction then...we seem to have missed it.
"The US has returned a deserter."
Oh? Could you give us the play-by-play of his trial and conviction then. It seems we all missed it.
ED1
Four Americans were killed due to the lack of leadership in the White House and SOUS shame on both of them.
Glad the see Obama let 5 American killers go for one Army deserter in return what a deal.
I didn't think we could get any lower with the no leader in charge wrong again.
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That's silly. If he didn't get our soldier back- you'd complain he left a man behind. After all you can't try to make hay about the VA, if you're willing to abandons soldiers. In the end, we can't keep people in Gitmo without trials forever. The war is over- the POWs go home. Get it?
According to many nations Bush and Cheney are also war criminals
My guess on this is not so much political by the populous, but political by the media. Since the story is out there but not getting much coverage, or reports of closure, the people think it that there is more too it than is being reported. Spin this either way you want, but it makes sense.
DC good job a lot of deception, in such a small space your the best, oh, and you sound very stupid, but hey that's nearly a required trait for continued gop support. Support the party hell bent on destroying your life you guys are just too smart for us Democrats. Just ask the gop when they stop laughing at you, they'll agree!
Makes one wonder,just how stupid are the people their trying to recruit? Blows my mind, the actual I.q. of the voting block that supports them, just wow!
LOL...so it's now coming out that it was Republican "strategists" arranging all the interviews with folks from Bergdhal's platoon in an effort to undermine the administration. They're also now trying to create a lot of focus on attacking and denigrating the guy's father. What's next? His mom and grandparents? These people are sick in the head. Whatever the guy did, he hasn't been convicted of ANYTHING, and WE LEAVE NOBODY BEHIND.
I think this will be the eighth congressional investigation into the Benghazi incident, I don't know how much you could cover up after so many inquiries .
Why?!?!?
It was "Just a spontaneous group of protestors that were upset about the YouTube movie"!!!
– it was not a group of heavily armed and highly organized militia
– though there were witnesses that there were no protestors... They flooded the streets around the compound
– it was just a US Ambassador that was assassinated and a number of Americans. "What matter does it make" that "it is not optimal"
– the nefarious film-make was captured and thrown in jail
– how can you capture those responsible if they were just a "spontaneous group of protestors"?!
– Obama got to got to Vegas to campaign... Who cares that an Ambassador got killed, it's VEGAS!!!
You are all beginning to think clearly... Report to your nearest ObamaLie fountain and drink up the Koolaide.
Sniffit – Yep, the guy's father has a big beard, talks about the war in a non-supportive way and even puts 'Allah' in the middle of it = traitor.
The very same logic used against anyone who doesn't 'looks' patriotic enough for them...
I AM
I think this will be the eighth congressional investigation into the Benghazi incident, I don't know how much you could cover up after so many inquiries .
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It is more like twelve. What can be covered up? Well, that fact that there is nothing to the claims of the GOP. This is simply a check-writing machine for them for November.
@Sniffit
"The US has returned a deserter."
Oh? Could you give us the play-by-play of his trial and conviction then. It seems we all missed it.
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Standard conservative talk-show mentality. Describe current events in terms of the very worst case before it plays out to maximize the negativity towards our president.
Sniffit
LOL...so it's now coming out that it was Republican "strategists" arranging all the interviews with folks from Bergdhal's platoon in an effort to undermine the administration. They're also now trying to create a lot of focus on attacking and denigrating the guy's father. What's next? His mom and grandparents? These people are sick in the head. Whatever the guy did, he hasn't been convicted of ANYTHING, and WE LEAVE NOBODY BEHIND.
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If it is true that GOTP strategists are behind these reports, then that is not at all surprising. But the right wing's assertion that a "traitor" does not deserve to be rescued should not only be surprising, it should also be appalling.
Lizzie
Gurgyl, right Benghazi never happened, it's all made up, no one died, they are alive and well somewhere.
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What skill! You took Gurgy's original statement, lied about what it said, and now throw it back as a piece of unbelievable fiction- as if he is the one that's crazy. T
I think this is why people tend to think the Right is nuts- for you guys there is no distinction between truth and lie as long as you get to say what you want- and never get challenged on it.
You've been too long in the echo chamber.
Way to go CNN. You know very well how to hook up republicans by writing all bad news on Benghazi (Hillary). In the end you will lose both Dems and Republicans at the same time.
Sniffit
"But the gang keeps telling me that nobody cares about this."
We also keep telling you that your constant stream of ad hominem is juvenile and offensive and does nothing but damage the conversation here.
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Being offensive is the whole point. He's bitterly angry about something and wants to share it.
Silence DoGood
@Larry of Massachusetts
As for Hillary, "what difference does it make"
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I will correct this lie as often as I see it: Ms.Clinton said the "what difference" quote in response to hounding in the hearings over the motivation of the attackers. She was making a point that it was more important that four Americans died and future prevention than what was in the minds of the attackers. She was placing the deaths as top priority as opposed to what her Inquisitors were finding important. The transcripts are easy to find online.
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What do you expect? For Republicans it's all about the sound bites. Which explains why Ronald "Union-Buster" Reagan took "Born in the USA" as his campaign song, even though Bruce Springsteen is severely pro-union.
rs posted
Lizzie
Gurgyl, right Benghazi never happened, it's all made up, no one died, they are alive and well somewhere.
_____________________
What skill! You took Gurgy's original statement, lied about what it said, and now throw it back as a piece of unbelievable fiction- as if he is the one that's crazy.
===================================================
It's not craziness. It's more like willful ignorance.
Notice how she didn't quote Gurgyl, something which she usually does.
George Orwell was right; "Two feet bad, four feet good". "Dems. bad, Repubs. good". We're just about there.
This says A LOT. Even the significant number of "independents" think this. What is interesting is that the poll did show how many per each category were "undecided", so it very reasonable to think the number of "independents" which think he (this admin) has not mislead/tried to cover things up is a lot lower than even 35%. This is not good for the Administration.
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Fifty-eight percent say the Obama administration has tried to cover up the facts/ disclosed what it knows about what happened in Benghazi. Again there's a large partisan gap, with 84% of Republicans, 65% of independents, but only 30% of Democrats saying the administration has tried to cover things up.
The ABC News/Washington Post survey indicates that nearly six in ten say the Obama administration has tried to cover up the facts on the September 11, 2012 attack, which left U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead.
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Well, well, well, it appears a majority of the American people aren't as brain dead as the leftist whackjob gang in here would have us all believe! I guess the fact that the Obama administration has consistently lied about everything is finally sinking in with the American people. And they do NOT like being lied to.
Republicans have been investigating a Benghazi coverup for 2 years. If there had been a Benghazi coverup they would have found evidence of the coverup by now. More Americans died in the California shooting than in Benghazi. More Americans were affected by the VA scandal. Yet Republicans remain fixated on Benghazi. Apparently, Republicans are coming to the realization that Obamacare has failed to fail.
To show how much a waste of time the Republican investigation of a Benghazi coverup has been, this was what Obama said in a 60 Minutes interview on September 12, one day after the Benghazi attack:
"As I said, we’re still investigating exactly what happened. I don’t want to jump the gun on this. But you’re right that this is not a situation that was exactly the same as what happened in Egypt. And my suspicion is, is that there are folks involved in this, who were looking to target Americans from the start."
What happened in Egypt was that there were protests against the video. Obama said that Benghazi was not exactly the same situation as what happened in Egypt. Obama also said that "there are folks involved in this, who were looking to target Americans from the start." So Obama did not think that the Benghazi attack arose out of a spontaneous demonstration at all.
If Obama not covered up, why hasnt he given the permissions to interviees witnesses who were on the ground that night why are those stupid keep blaming any one who are disagree with them? Sorry im not a republican, im a democrat. It cant make two wrong become right. Wrong is wrong , right is right