NYT editor defiant on Benghazi report amid lawmaker criticism

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

A New York Times editor on Monday staunchly defended a controversial report on the Benghazi attack which largely backed the State Department's narrative, amid withering criticism from congressional Republicans and others.

 

The State Department, as might be expected, also spoke in defense of the New York Times article.

 

"Much of what's in this in-depth investigation ... tracks with what the [internal review board] found and with our understanding of the facts," spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday.

 

The lengthy Times report and the subsequent fallout represent the latest battle over the public narrative of what happened the night of Sept. 11, 2012. Even the State Department's internal review did not offer a definitive explanation of what caused the attack and who was behind it.

 

The Times investigation, though, aggravated some of the department's toughest critics by concluding there was no involvement from Al Qaeda or any other international terror group and that an anti-Islam film played a role in inciting the initial wave of attacks.

 

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Roger, R-Mich., told "Fox News Sunday" that the intelligence community would dispute that. He said the story was "not accurate."

 

But in a defiant column, Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal challenged -- in an almost-mocking tone -- those Republicans, whom he claimed "ran screaming to television studios" to air their complaints with the story.

 

He argued that those trying to claim Al Qaeda was involved were doing so for strictly political reasons.

 

"For anyone wondering why it's so important to Republicans that Al Qaeda orchestrated the attack -- or how the Obama administration described the attack in its immediate aftermath -- the answer is simple. The Republicans hope to tarnish Democratic candidates by making it seem as though Mr. Obama doesn't take Al Qaeda seriously," he wrote. "They also want to throw mud at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who they fear will run for president in 2016."

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Toeing the official line...

[Valin]

[articleshotarticle=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/30/nyt-editor-defiant-on-benghazi-report-state-department-backs-findings/?intcmp=latestnews]Fox News:

 

But in a defiant column, Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal challenged -- in an almost-mocking tone -- those Republicans, whom he claimed "ran screaming to television studios" to air their complaints with the story.

 

He argued that those trying to claim Al Qaeda was involved were doing so for strictly political reasons.

 

 

________

 

Toeing the official line...

 

 

Podcast: The Benghazi Whitewash

 

The WEEKLY STANDARD podcast, with Thomas Joscelyn from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, on his recent reporting about the whitewashing of Benghazi.

 

 

You will of course notice how Thomas screaming and shouting about this.