A Democratic senator who tried to ensure we didn't get any answers on Benghazi is now demanding President Donald Trump give Democrats answers on the Iraqi embassy attack.
Mind you, the assault on our embassy in Baghdad hasn't actually resulted in any deaths as of Wednesday.
Rocks were hurled, windows have been broken and tear gas has been used against the attackers, but
The New York Times reported no serious physical harm has come to those inside.
The attack happened in response to American airstrikes against an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq which ended with 25 fighters being killed. The strikes had been launched in response to a rocket attack which killed an American contractor at an Iraqi military base.
"Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many," he tweeted.
"We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!"
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has some questions about the attack on our embassy in Iraq -- and he wants them answered posthaste.
According to
The Hill, Menendez "is calling for the Trump administration to give Congress an explanation for the security failure at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad after protesters stormed it on Tuesday."
"Menendez is asking the administration to send to Congress a current security posture at the embassy and 'elsewhere in the region,' plans for potential evacuations of the embassy and other personnel, plans to ensure the safety of locally employed staff, and threat indicators from before the attack and any alterations to security taken in response to them," the outlet added.
“While the Trump Administration has touted its maximum pressure campaign against Iran, the results so far have been more threats against international commerce, emboldened and more violent proxy attacks across the Middle East, and now, the death of an American citizen in Iraq,” Menendez said in a statement.
"I call on all Iraqis, including the government and security forces, to continue our partnership with American security forces and diplomatic personnel to restore security and order,” he added.
That last part is all very nice, I think we can agree. The rest is rather rich when you consider the subtext here -- Menendez wants this to be
a Benghazi.
Back when the Senate was investigating Benghazi, however,
Menendez was accused of helping coordinate with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's team to lob her a softball question during testimony.
When Clinton appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to answer questions about Benghazi in January 2013, Menendez was the acting chairman. His first question seemed to be a bit of a setup for the secretary of state:
“Can you give us your insights on the decision-making process regarding the location of the mission and as part of that can you also in your response -- and you touched upon it in your opening statement -- what actions were you and your staff taking on the night of Sept. 11 and the 12?” the New Jersey senator asked, according to
WCBS.
She responded with that information, all right.
"[Ambassador] Chris [Stevens] was committed to not only being in Benghazi but to the location," she said, as
Fox News reported.
She also said that on the night the attack happened, "I was notified of the attack shortly after 4:00 p.m. Over the following hours, we were in continuous meetings and conversations both within the department with our team in Tripoli, with the interagency and internationally."
However, an email -- obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request -- from Clinton aide Philippe Reines to
Chelsea Clinton on the morning the hearing happened seemed to indicate this question had been fed to Menendez.
"We wired it that Menendez would provide an opportunity to address two topics we needed to debunk (her actions/whereabouts on 9/11, and these email from Chris Stevens about moving locations,)" Reines wrote.
This is the opposite of demanding answers. The email suggests Menendez was working with the Clintons to make sure Hillary was able to present her version of events in the most positive light so as to frame the hearing.
Acting high and mighty on the
embassy attack in Iraq -- an event in which no one has been killed and American forces seem to have gotten things under control -- is a lot different than an attack in Libya in which four Americans died and the
Obama administration dissembled for a not-insignificant period of time about what caused it and who did it.
Menendez's statement should pretty much have begun and ended with that part about "I call on all Iraqis, including the government and security forces, to continue our partnership with American security forces and diplomatic personnel to restore security and order." There you go. That's it. He has no credibility on the matter.
If lives are lost and if, in the examination of the incident, it's discovered that there were security failures from the
Trump administration, then yes, their feet should be held to the fire.
We don't have any evidence of that yet. What happened will no doubt be investigated, and perhaps then Menendez can realistically bang his rhetorical fist on the table and demand answers. Until then, the hypocrisy is rank.
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