US Opinion and Commentary

“VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinion on these policies.” — VOA Charter

Showing Archived Posts

The Benghazi Report

Posted June 30th, 2016 at 5:50 pm (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

Benghazi. It’s one of those place names like Bhopal and Chernobyl that connotes death, horror and mistakes.

Benghazi has become a political flash point because the terrorist attack on the U.S. mission there was originally, and erroneously, blamed on reaction to an anti-Muslim video that had been circulated in the Middle East. Republicans say then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn’t do enough to prevent the deaths of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others and then lied to the American public about the attack.

This week, results from an eighth congressional investigation into the attack was released. Some new details were revealed, especially about the lack of intelligence about potential threats and bureaucratic errors that failed to help those trapped in the mission, despite orders from the very top.

One investigation committee Republican called Clinton’s leadership during the situation “morally reprehensible.” Clinton said the report found “nothing to contradict” previous investigations, adding “It’s pretty clear it’s time to move on.”

But with Hillary Clinton running for president, Republicans won’t be moving on, using Benghazi for maximum political advantage.

Clinton Faces Congressional Query on Benghazi – Again

Posted October 21st, 2015 at 2:34 pm (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

17 months and $4.5-million. That’s how long — and costly — the Republican-led probe of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s role in the deadly 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The congressional committee will hear from her once again on Thursday. Critics say the hearings are simply a witch hunt against Clinton, who is now running for president as a Democrat. She is expected to be grilled about her assessment of the security needed for the high-risk mission, along with questions of transparency about exactly what happened and, of course, all those emails she wrote during her post on a private server in her home. Republicans say they want honest answers to their pertinent questions. Democrats see it as an opportunity to pile on Clinton, and hope she will come across as the victim of an overly-politicized panel intent on tarnishing her.