Jay Carney tried to hold his ground for eight full minutes after being confronted by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on the implications of newly released emails. These emails containined specific instruction on how to handle the Benghazi attack report. He insinuated that the strategy of such emails and story-weaving was to protect Obama, as the country was only weeks away from election day.
The emails, which were released only after the government was petitioned under the Freedom of Information Act, contain most notably instruction from deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes to then-U.N. ambassador Susan Rise.
The emails urge her to emphasize the now infamous offensive Muhammed video as the source of the demonstrations, not “a failure of policy,” in a series of impending Sunday show appearances after the attack. The exact words were “underscore these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy.”
Carney said on Wednesday during his sparring round with Karl that the emails reflected the truth even though it later came out that the attacks on the Embassy at Benghazi, Libya that killed four people were orchestrated and planned by al-Qaeda to happen on the anniversary of September 11th in 2012. He also claimed that guidance in the emails was directed more to the widespread demonstrations that were taking place at the time, not so much on the attacks at Benghazi.
There is also the fact that the email from Ben Rhodes to Susan Rice was suspiciously withheld from the emails that were released in May 2013 that showed the correspondence amongst the Obama administration about talking points after the attack. Also, in the previously released documents, there is an email from State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland which was sent to Rhodes and others expressing worry that her agency appeared to be taking the blame for failing to listen to and consider CIA warnings of a possible attack on the anniversary of September 11th.
Will the truth ever be clear and those responsible held accountable on this matter? I guess time only will tell.
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