As difficult as it may be to believe, Craig Melvin of MSNBC found a way to attack the Democrats’ political position on Benghazi from the left.
The substitute anchor for Friday’s edition of NewsNation brought on Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) to discuss new developments surrounding the newly-formed select committee. Melvin challenged Sanchez to answer why the Democrats would join the select committee if they could not even answer what the mission was. Insinuating that the conservative position on Benghazi is nothing more than a joke, Melvin asked [MP3 audio here; video below]:
How real is the concern that nothing comes out of this except more of the same hoopla and propaganda that we have seen so far, and then all of a sudden, instead of it being a Republican witch hunt, it is now a bipartisan witch hunt, it’s a bipartisan circus.
While the media and the Democratic establishment have been in virtual lock-step on the Benghazi scandal from Day 1, to see an ostensibly objective journalist claim that the select committee is mere political propaganda is taking things to a more disturbing level.
As to Melvin wondering why the Democrats would join the committee before they find out what exactly the “mission” is of it? Is the answer not self-evident? The mission of any select committee investigating a government cover-up is, well, uncovering the truth. To ask the congresswoman why she didn’t wait until the “mission” of the committee was defined seems to be a tacit admission by Melvin that his interest isn’t a broad-ranging search for the whole story on the Benghazi fiasco.
The transcript for the segment is appended below:
MSNBC
NewsNation
May 23, 2014
11:11 a.m. EasternCRAIG MELVIN, guest host: And now that the Democrats are seated on the house select committee on Benghazi, both sides are busy figuring out the next step. The panel includes 7 Republicans and 5 Democrats. The two sides have not met together just yet. The Democrats did get together themselves briefly yesterday. One of the Democrats is Congresswoman Linda Sanchez of California joins me live now. Congresswoman, first of all, what came out of the meeting?
LINDA SANCHEZ (D-Calif.): Uhh, it was a brief meeting just to kind of huddle, and for our leader representative Cummings to explain that he would be meet with Trey Gowdy, the chairman of that select committee. It was really just an introductory meeting, to sort of sit down to talk about the next steps.
MELVIN: Four reports at least so far on Benghazi from the house alone. What more do we hope to learn from this committee?
SANCHEZ: Well, that is the question. And that question needs to be posed to Mr.Gowdy, because in insisting on the committee, we need to know exactly what is the mission or the scope of this committee.
MELVIN: But why agree to join the committee before that question has been answered?
SANCHEZ: Well, because, to give them carte blanche and to say that we aren’t gonna sit at the table is to allow them to run roughshod into whatever conspiracy theories, you know, they can contemplate. It is clear that they are using this select committee for the political purposes and they have been fund-raising off of it. And, uh, the question that Mr. Gowdy has to essentially answer, what is the select committee looking for and what evidence or facts does he think exist that have not been brought the light in the eight reports that have already been prepared and the numerous investigations that have already taken place.MELVIN: And Congresswoman, and here is the thing, there are a lot of folks who have been very critical of the decision for you guys to even join this thing. How real is the concern that nothing comes out of this except more of the same hoopla and propaganda that we have seen so far, and then all of a sudden, instead of it being a Republican witch hunt, it is now a bipartisan witch hunt, it’s a bipartisan circus. How real is that concern?
SANCHEZ: Well, the concern I think more clearly expressed is that in having unequal number of people on the committee, they will have the votes to do whatever they want to do, but by having the Democrats in the room, we can check them at every turn with every decision that they make. And we can, you know, check them when they are playing loose and fast with the truth, we can stand up for the process and point out where it is not being transparent, and where it is not being fair. And if we are totally absent from that room, they can message all that they want. It was suggested that we should just boycott and stand outside at the microphone saying it is a kangaroo court, but that’s gonna get old after a few days and nobody is going to want to cover you standing at the microphone saying the same thing over and over again, and so it is critical for us to be in that room.
MELVIN: And what are the families saying to that leadership about this?
SANCHEZ: You know, it is heartbreaking, but the families don't want to see this used for political purposes, and we ought to respect their with wishes. And the best to do for those families to honor the memories of those who gave their lives in service of the country is to be tenacious to getting at the truth and not allowing the misinformation and the half truths that have been pedalled about this event to continue to be put out there as the truth.
MELVIN: Congresswoman Linda Sanchez from California, thank you.
SANCHEZ: Thank you so much, Craig.
