Gowdy subpoenas Pentagon official, suggests he hid Benghazi witness

[mystery-ak]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/trey-gowdy-subpoenas-pentagon-official-224176


Gowdy subpoenas Pentagon official, suggests he hid Benghazi witness

The chairman questions whether the Defense Department lied when it told him they couldn’t find a drone sensor operator who reportedly saw a video feed from the Sept. 11, 2012 attack.

By Mike Zapler

06/10/16 09:42 AM EDT

House Benghazi Committee Republicans have subpoenaed a Pentagon official to testify next week after Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) suggested the person may have misled congressional officials who were seeking to track down a witness with knowledge of the 2012 attack.

Committee Republicans had been trying to find “John from Iowa,” who called into Sean Hannity’s radio program in 2013 and said he had been a drone sensor operator the night of the Sept. 11, 2012 attack and had seen a video feed.

In late April, Assistant Secretary of Defense Stephen Hedger wrote a letter to Gowdy stating that the department “has expended significant resources to locate anyone who might match the description of this person, to no avail.”

Gowdy is now questioning whether that was true.

After the defense department provided a list of names of drone operators with potential knowledge of the attack, the committee interviewed “John from Iowa” on Thursday.

“Based on this drone sensor operator’s testimony to the committee Thursday, it now appears the Department had knowledge well in advance of who and where John was,” Gowdy said in a statement Friday.

“Mr. Hedger will now have the opportunity to detail exactly what ‘resources’ he ‘expended’ and how. I look forward to him explaining the serious questions that have arisen with respect to this matter, including whether they are related to incompetence or deliberate concealment of the witness from a congressional inquiry,” Gowdy added.

Hedger has been asked to testify on Wednesday, June 15.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the committee, blasted the subpoena.

“This latest abuse of authority by House Republicans is ridiculous and a desperate distraction from a failed investigation,” Cummings said in a statement. “There was absolutely no reason to unilaterally subpoena the legislative staff of the Pentagon—after ignoring their request for a meeting—except to retaliate against the Defense Department for exposing the Select Committee’s abuses, delay this partisan investigation even further into the election season, and distract from the fact that the Republicans have come up empty in their three-year attack on Hillary Clinton.”

A spokeswoman for Benghazi Committee Democrats said there was no need to interview “John from Iowa” because the Pentagon had already provided the videos he had pointed out.

Pentagon officials, including Hedger, and Democrats on the Benghazi panel have complained that Gowdy is dragging out the investigation and strapping government resources with incessant and unnecessary demands for more information.

Gowdy, in response, has accused the Pentagon of foot-dragging and delaying the committee’s final report, which was expected to be released months ago. The special committee launched more than two years ago.

An email to a Pentagon spokesman was not immediately returned.

[Bigun]

It seems to me that a bunch of people crying "witch hunt" sure are going to a LOT of trouble to prevent the facts from coming to light!

[kidd]

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the committee, blasted the subpoena

Sounds to me like Gowdy is on to something.

[OldSaltUSN]

It seems to me that a bunch of people crying "witch hunt" sure are going to a LOT of trouble to prevent the facts from coming to light!

That's why the Democrats first created the "Special Prosecutor" role during Watergate.   Without both subpoena AND the authority to convene, and issue referrals to a grand jury, the Congressional committees are powerless. Well, wouldn't ya know, just as the pendulum swung, and Gingrich brought in the first GOP House in 30 (or 50?) years, AND the Democrats got their first (corrupt) two term President since Truman, well.. geewiz, that Special Prosecutor is anti-Constitutional (e.g. Congress usurping powers of the Executive branch) AND SO unnecessary anyways.

That's why there were no serious prosecutions in the Clinton era.  I think Sooter Libby was prosecuted by a Bush Justice Dept attorney (if memory serves).  And, there have been absolutely no effective controls on the Obama Administration despite the fact that everyone on capital hill knows that Justice has been political, Treasury (IRS) has served as Obama's re-election committee, Hillary ran SOS like a slot machine - pay to play, selling US interests to fill her and Bill's purse, and on and on.

Gowdy will accomplish nothing.  The only effective constraint on Obama left to Congress is the nuclear option, i.e. Impeachment.   It IS disruptive, it DOES put the nation at risk (economic and security), and it DOES have a high standard for successful execution.  The founding fathers, for all the wisdom we credit them, configured the government this way to prevent political prosecutions, i.e. imprisoning the last Administration when your party wins the White House, because of policy differences.

The founders couldn't foresee such an immoral people as this country has become.  That's why 250 years of a republic is breaking down, and probably is doomed.    The facts are mostly known, and the coverup (i.e. obstruction of Justice) by Obama and all of his players, is clear and obvious.   Yet the facts did not prevent this country from re-electing Obama.   That was the tragedy of Obama upon this nation.  Though he may have had illegal help (e.g. untraceable overseas donations, likely from enemies of this country), Obama was in fact legitimately elected twice by a people who had sufficient information to know better.

Just like the Trumpkins are ignoring Trump's amorality, so also did the Obama acolytes ignore Obama's clear amorality the first time, and his clear criminal sins the second.

This country has the government it deserves.  Unfortunately, the moral of us have to go along with the ride - downhill.  It's all straight downhill from here.

What Gowdy does matters not.  Not one Obama official will even be indicted - for anything.  That cake is already baked, courtesy of the GOP Congressional leadership.  Without an outside, special prosecutor working along side them, and taking the political heat off congress, these Congressional investigations go nowhere.

[geronl]

These hearings never go anywhere, ever. We've been waiting for 7 years and nothing.