CORRECT THE RECORD
STRATEGIC MEMORANDUM
 
TO:                              Sunday Show Producers and Interested Parties
FROM:                        Brad Woodhouse, President, Correct The Record
DATE:                         August 15, 2015
SUBJECT:                  TREY GOWDY: The GOP’s 2016 Hatchet Man

Trey Gowdy has undertaken a campaign of political harassment of Hillary Clinton — one with an unlimited budget of taxpayer dollars, a limitless time horizon, and ever-evolving goalposts and mission. Despite once saying that Clinton is “by no means the central focus of our inquiry,” Gowdy has become the Republican Party’s surrogate and hatchet man in its effort to smear Clinton ahead of 2016. The Republican Benghazi Committee chairman’s most recent statement didn’t mention Benghazi a single time in all four paragraphs, besides in the name of his Committee.[1]
 
The Committee has already cost taxpayers more than $4.1 million—and it’s on course to cost more than $6 million before all is said and done. In fact, this shameful exercise has been so expensive, so protracted, and so evidence-free that the Benghazi Committee itself should be investigated for misuse of taxpayer funds for partisan political gains.  
 
Consider the facts:
 
 
TREY GOWDY: 2016 HATCHET MAN
 
Despite his original promise to conduct a fair and legitimate investigation into the events surrounding the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Chairman Trey Gowdy and his Republican colleagues have used their committee to harass Hillary Clinton at every turn.
 
Trey Gowdy: “There is this notion out there, as some of my colleagues have said, that this will be a circus, a kangaroo court… I don’t want to be part of that.” “Gowdy is keenly sensitive to that criticism. ‘There is this notion out there, as some of my colleagues have said, that this will be a circus, a kangaroo court. No one who values their professional reputation wants to be part of that. I don’t want to be part of that.’ He said he is trying to hire non-partisan investigators with no political agenda and to reach out to the panel’s ranking member, Elijah Cummings, D-Md., to ensure that the minority has a role in the investigation. House Democrats reluctantly agreed to participate in the 12-member investigative panel.” [USA Today, 7/3/14]
 
Leaked Information Despite Promising a Legitimate Investigation
 
Trey Gowdy: “Serious investigations do not leak information.” “So while tremendous progress has been made, both in the quantity and quality of transcribed interviews, those interviews must remain private until such time as a final report has been written in fairness to both the conduct of a proper investigation and to all relevant parties. I have made this a fundamental principle for the Committee and its staff because serious investigations do not leak information or make selective releases of information without full and proper context.” [Gowdy’s “Interim Progress Update,” 5/8/15]
 
Discredited New York Times story is the latest in a series of leaks. “I spoke personally to the State Department Inspector General on Thursday, and he said he never asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation of Secretary Clinton’s email usage.  Instead, he told me the Intelligence Community IG notified the Justice Department and Congress that they identified classified information in a few emails that were part of the FOIA review, and that none of those emails had been previously marked as classified.  The Benghazi Select Committee has obtained zero evidence that any emails to or from Secretary Clinton were marked as classified at the time they were transmitted, although some have been retroactively classified since then.  This is the latest example in a series of inaccurate leaks to generate false front-page headlines—only to be corrected later—and they have absolutely nothing to do with the attacks in Benghazi or protecting our diplomatic corps overseas.” [“Cummings Responds to Inaccurate Leaks to New York Times on Clinton Emails,” 7/24/15]
 
New York Times admitted to relying on tips from Capitol Hill to develop now-discredited story. “The story developed quickly on Thursday afternoon and evening, after tips from various sources, including on Capitol Hill. The reporters had what Mr. Purdy described as ‘multiple, reliable, highly placed sources,’ including some ‘in law enforcement.’ I think we can safely read that as the Justice Department. The sources said not only was there indeed a referral but also that it was directed at Mrs. Clinton herself, and that it was a criminal referral. And that’s how The Times wrote it initially. ‘We got it wrong because our very good sources had it wrong,’ Mr. Purdy told me. ‘That’s an explanation, not an excuse. We have an obligation to get facts right and we work very hard to do that.’” [NY Times Public Editor’s Journal, 7/27/15]
 
Norm Ornstein suggested that Trey Gowdy or someone from the Select Committee again leaked information to the Times. “I give kudos to the paper for having a public editor. Margaret Sullivan’s long analysis of the multiple miscues was itself honest and straightforward. But it raised its own questions, for me at least, especially surrounding the sourcing. Here is what top editor Matt Purdy said about the story’s sources: They were ‘multiple, reliable, highly placed’ and included some ‘in law enforcement.’ What does that mean? First, it means that some of the sources were not in law enforcement. If they were from Congress, and, perhaps from Trey Gowdy’s special committee on Benghazi, it would not be the first time that committee has been a likely source for a front-page Times story on Clinton.” [Norm Ornstein opinion, The Atlantic, 7/28/15]
 
Trey Gowdy leaked pages of Secretary Clinton’s emails to the press. “Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, issued the following statement in response to a press report that Chairman Gowdy intends to subpoena Sidney Blumenthal, which included selectively leaked pages of Secretary Clinton’s emails.” [“Cummings Statement on Leaked Plan to Issue Unilateral Subpoena,”5/18/15]
 
Washington Examiner: Benghazi committee “appeared to have leaked several hundred pages of records to the New York Times.” “In November of last year, Clinton gave the State Department 55,000 printed pages of emails she deemed relevant to her work as secretary of state and reportedly deleted the rest. Many of those emails have been subjected to review by the Benghazi Committee, which appeared to have leaked several hundred pages of records to the New York Times just hours before the State Department published its first batch of redacted emails.” [Washington Examiner, 6/2/15]
 
Trey Gowdy leaked news of Blumenthal subpoena before it was served.  “These latest moves by the Benghazi Committee—issuing  a subpoena without first contacting the witness, leaking news of the subpoena before it was served, and not holding any Committee debate or vote—are straight out the partisan playbook of discredited Republican investigations.” [“Cummings Statement on Leaked Plan to Issue Unilateral Subpoena,”5/18/15]
 
Trey Gowdy leaked news of Hillary Clinton subpoena before informing committee Democrats.  “In a letter sent to Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) on Friday, the five Democrats on the panel criticized Gowdy for issuing the formal request for documents from Clinton’s term as secretary of state without consulting with Democrats and accused the committee of operating as a campaign arm of the Republican National Committee…. ‘Issuing this subpoena unilaterally with no deliberation by committee members, leaking information about the subpoena before informing Democratic Members, and providing inaccurate information at a press conference all contribute to a perception that this Committee is now targeting Secretary Clinton for political reasons rather than to clarify any remaining facts relating to the attacks in Benghazi,’ the Democrats, led by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), wrote.” [Politico, 3/6/15]
 
Rep. Cummings: “Someone who was given access to the Select Committee’s documents leaked doctored information to the press in order to make unsubstantiated allegations against Secretary Clinton.” “Documents released recently by the Benghazi Select Committee demonstrate that a Member of the Committee, a staffer on the Committee, or someone who has been given access to the Committee’s documents inaccurately described to the press email exchanges obtained by the Committee in a way that appeared to further a political attack against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.” [Rep. Cummings letter to Chairman Gowdy, 7/6/15]
 
The emails were doctored to further the false attack that Hillary Clinton influenced the talking points for political purposes. “First, the source claimed that Secretary Clinton wrote ‘Thanks, I’m pushing to WH’ in response to an email from Mr. Blumenthal on October 10. In fact, she did not make that statement in response to this email. Secretary Clinton was responding to a completely different email more than a week earlier, on October 1. Second, the source claimed that Secretary Clinton was responding to a suggestion from Mr. Blumenthal that Philippe Reines circulate links to four Media Matters articles that refuted the way the ‘right-wing media’ was covering Republican statements about the Benghazi attacks. In fact, Secretary Clinton was responding to an email from Mr. Blumenthal forwarding an article from Salon.com reporting that Republicans were planning to claim inaccurately during the presidential debates that the White House had advance knowledge about the Benghazi attacks and failed to act on it. The article included no reference to Mr. Reines at all.” [Rep. Cummings letter to Chairman Gowdy, 7/6/15]
 
Despite his promise to run a legitimate investigation, Trey Gowdy refused to investigate the source of the inaccurate, doctored leak. “Today, Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy sent a letter to Ranking Member Elijah Cummings responding to a letter Cummings sent this morning warning that someone who was given access to the Select Committee’s documents appears to have leaked doctored, inaccurate information to the press in order to make unsubstantiated allegations against Secretary Clinton. Here are highlights from Chairman Gowdy’s letter: Chairman Gowdy never denies the inaccurate leak occurred. Chairman Gowdy never condemns the leaking of inaccurate information. Chairman Gowdy never says he will investigate who leaked the information. Chairman Gowdy claims Cummings provided no ‘proof of fact’ – even though the American public now has the emails that prove it. Copies of the accurate versions of those publicly released emails are linked here and here. Chairman Gowdy explained in his letter that he intends to ‘remain focused on discharging the mission given to us by the House of Representatives.’” [Gowdy Refuses to Investigate Who on Select Committee Leaked Inaccurate Info to Press, 7/6/15]
 
Gowdy and the GOP have Fundraised off of Benghazi Investigation
 
Trey Gowdy: “I have never sought to raise a single penny on the backs of four murdered Americans.” “Appearing on ‘Morning Joe,’ the South Carolina Republican was asked by co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski whether he would ask members of the GOP not to ask supporters for campaign cash by appealing to the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. ‘Yes, and I will cite myself as an example,’ Gowdy said. ‘I have never sought to raise a single penny on the backs of four murdered Americans.’ Gowdy, in a similar statement to one he made on Fox News on Tuesday, said the Benghazi investigation should remain above the political fray.” [Politico, 5/7/15]
 
Trey Gowdy raised money off of Benghazi at the National Pachyderm Convention. “U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Chattanooga, who was elected to the U.S. House in 2010 along with Gowdy and recruited him to come to the two-day Pachyderm convention, called the South Carolina Republican ‘a standout’ who is ‘modest, honest and principled.’ ‘Whether you are Hillary Clinton or any other lefty out there, you better beware because Trey Gowdy is out there and he is going to get you,’ Fleischmann told the GOP gathering. In turn, Gowdy praised Fleischmann, who serves on the Appropriations Committee that he said helped the Benghazi probe by threatening to withhold State Department funding if the agency didn’t comply with the committee’s subpoenas. ‘If you want to provide oversight and get the attention of the executive branch, step on the air hose called appropriations,’ Gowdy said. ‘We tried public shame, threats, subpoenas and letters, but they didn’t work. What worked is when we partnered with our friends on Appropriations and let the State Department and other agencies know that your money will be cut if you do not provide us with documents.’” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/7/15]
 
Trey Gowdy used Benghazi to raise money at a barbecue fundraiser for Rep. Mick Mulvaney. “Gowdy addressed the issue of ‘phony scandals,’ in which the government is describing the scandals surrounding the IRS and NSA as fake, or phony. Referring to the scandal surrounding the murders of four American citizens in the Benghazi attacks, Gowdy said this is not the case. ‘It is a scandal,’ he said. ‘But it is not a phony scandal.’ Gowdy said these scandals begin to chip away at the public’s trust in their government. ‘There is nothing phony about (citizens) not trusting the people they put in positions of leadership,’ he said. Gowdy urged readers to hold their representatives accountable.” [“Campaign barbecue fundraiser held at city of light; Mulvaney, Gowdy discuss issues,” Lancaster News, 9/1/13]
 
Trey Gowdy was slated to appear at a Virginia GOP fundraiser titled ‘Beyond Benghazi.’ ‘Gowdy is scheduled to be the featured guest at a fundraising event March 19 for the Republican Party of Virginia, entitled, ‘Beyond Benghazi,’ featuring a screening and an interview of Gowdy, moderated by Rep. Morgan Griffith. The RPV is charging $75 but for $5,000, a donor can be a co-chair.’ [National Review, 3/9/15]
 
Fundraiser was cancelled after Trey Gowdy pulled out. “In May, just after he was picked to lead the House’s select committee to investigate the 2012 Benghazi attacks, Rep. Trey Gowdy said he would not raise money off of the assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. But it was revealed Monday that he was scheduled to help another group raise funds at an event called ‘Beyond Benghazi.’ By the day’s end, Gowdy had pulled out and the event was canceled.” [Washington Post, 3/9/15]
 
An advertisement from Stop Hillary PAC used Trey Gowdy’s picture and name to encouraged backers sign a pledge supporting the Select Committee. ‘Support Trey Gowdy & Continue the Select Committee on Benghazi. I support and uphold the Benghazi Select Committee Chairman, Congressman Trey Gowdy, in his pursuit of the truth and justice for all those involved.’ [Stop Hillary PAC advertisement, stophillarypac.org, accessed 4/30/15]
 
·       Stop Hillary PAC: ‘Stop Hillary PAC was created for one reason only -- to save America from the destructive far-left, liberal cancer created by Bill and Hillary Clinton that’s trying to corrupt America.’ ‘Make sure Hillary Clinton never becomes president! America can’t survive another term of Obama-era radical liberalist policies implemented by a Bill and Hillary Clinton team back in the White House. In 2016, it will be too late to stop Hillary. We’ve got to hold her accountable right now. Stop Hillary PAC was created for one reason only -- to save America from the destructive far-left, liberal cancer created by Bill and Hillary Clinton that’s trying to corrupt America. Stand with Stop Hillary PAC today to take a stand for America’s future and STOP Hillary dead in her tracks.’ [stophillarypac.org, accessed 4/30/15]
 
Repeatedly Delayed Investigation to Coincide with 2016
 
Gowdy said the Benghazi investigation should be completed by 2015. “The attack on the compound in Benghazi, which took the life of a United States ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, has outraged the Republican Party’s most conservative voters. But Mr. Gowdy’s methodical, under-the-radar approach has offered up little for partisans to seize upon, at least for now. He said the investigation should be complete by the end of 2015, ‘assuming cooperation from agencies, witnesses and the administration.’ Mr. Gowdy added, ‘I say ‘should’ because we cannot predict what witnesses will say, what documents may be produced, and whether either will lead to additional lines of appropriate inquiry.’ He added, ‘Just as I did not sign up for nor have any interest in a political investigation, likewise I have no interest in half measures, partial productions or a lack of access to witnesses with relevant information.’”  [New York Times, 9/28/14]
 
The Select Committee abandoned plans to hold 11 specific hearings in 2015, instead focusing attacks on Hillary Clinton. “At the beginning of this year, Select Committee Republicans provided Democrats with detailed information about their plans to hold 11 hearings between January and October on a wide range of topics relating to the Benghazi attacks. Since then, however, Republicans have completely abandoned this plan—holding no hearings at all since January and instead focusing on former Secretary Hillary Clinton. Amazingly, the last eight press releases on the Select Committee’s webpage deal entirely with Secretary Clinton.” [Republicans Abandon Plan for Benghazi Hearings to Focus on Clinton, 7/15/15]
 
Republicans on the Select Committee disputed reports that Hillary Clinton was set to appear at a hearing on October 22, causing doubt that her testimony would take place. “Clinton was invited to appear before the committee investigating the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack earlier this week, and the former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate accepted that invitation on Friday, campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said. Merrill said Clinton was ‘pleased’ to receive the invitation to a public hearing from committee chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy. A Democratic Benghazi Committee spokesperson told CNN that Gowdy offered several dates in October. But Jamal Ware, the select committee’s communications director, disputed that a date had been set, saying that Clinton’s lawyer, David Kendall, was insisting that the scope of the questioning be limited to the Benghazi attack -- and not other subjects, such as Libya and her use of a private email server, as Ware claims Kendall had previously agreed to -- and that the hearing date would not change.” [CNN, 7/25/15]
 
Trey Gowdy indefinitely delayed Hillary Clinton’s planned May 2015 testimony. “The chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi says Hillary Clinton’s testimony will be delayed until the panel gets all relevant documents from the State Department. ‘Simply put, the Committee must have the records of communication requested more than six months ago before the secretary’s appearance can be scheduled,’ Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) wrote Thursday in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry… ‘The Committee has had Secretary Clinton’s emails for months,’ he added, referencing 300 messages from Clinton’s server that Gowdy said are relevant to the investigation. ‘This new claim that the Department has not produced a single responsive document is completely baseless and appears to be yet another excuse to drag out Secretary Clinton’s testimony until closer to the election,’ said Cummings.” [The Hill, 5/14/15]
 
Trey Gowdy attempted to drag Hillary Clinton before the committee for two separate hearings. “Clinton agreed to testify before the committee in May. Gowdy, however, rejected that offer and asked the secretary to appear twice -- once on her exclusive use of a private email server while at State and another in regard to the Benghazi attack. Kendall, who has spearheaded Clinton’s communication with the committee, said the former first lady would only testify once on both topics and offered to do it during the week of May 18 or later. The date came and went, however, with no testimony.” [CNN,7/25/15]
 
Trey Gowdy’s spokesperson promised that the Benghazi investigation would stretch into the months just before the 2016 election. “The findings of a Republican-led committee investigating Hillary Clinton’s response to the deadly 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, likely will not be released until next year, just months before the 2016 presidential election. Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi, has been emphasizing a desire for the panel to finish investigative work by the end of 2015, including its review of Clinton’s e-mail practices as secretary of state. Now that seems less likely. In a statement on Tuesday to Bloomberg News, committee spokesman Jamal Ware confirmed the delay. ‘Factors beyond the committee’s control, including witness availability, compliance with documents requests, the granting of security clearances and accreditations—all of which are controlled by the Executive branch—could continue to impact the timing of the inquiry’s conclusion,’ Ware wrote.” [Bloomberg, 4/22/15]
 
 

[1] Consider this list of Benghazi Committee press releases more focused on Hillary Clinton’s emails than the events at Benghazi:

·       Press Release: Statement from the Communications Director on Clinton Email Addresses, March 4, 2015. [Statement from the Communications Director on Clinton Email Addresses, 3/4/15]

·       Press Release: Statement from the Communications Director on Subpoena Issuance, March 4, 2015. [Statement from the Communications Director on Subpoena Issuance, 3/4/15]

·       Press Release: Statement from the Communications Director on Clinton’s Emails, March 5, 2015. [Statement from the Communications Director on Clinton’s Emails, 3/5/15]

·       Press Release: Gowdy Statement on Clinton Press Conference, March 10, 2015. [Gowdy Statement on Clinton Press Conference, 3/10/15]

·       Press Release: Select Committee on Benghazi Formally Requests Clinton Turn Over Server to Neutral Third Party, March 20, 2015. [Select Committee on Benghazi Formally Requests Clinton Turn Over Server to Neutral Third Party, 3/20/15]

·       Press Release: Statement Regarding Subpoena Compliance and Server Determination by Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, March 27, 2015. [Statement Regarding Subpoena Compliance and Server Determination by Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 3/27/15]

·       Press Release: Select Committee Formally Requests Secretary Clinton Interview on Email Arrangement, March 31, 2015. [Select Committee Formally Requests Secretary Clinton Interview on Email Arrangement, 3/31/15]

·       Press Release: Statement on Response from Clinton Lawyer, April 22, 2015. [Statement on Response from Clinton Lawyer, 4/22/15]

·       Press Release: Select Committee on Benghazi Calls Clinton to Testify, April 23, 2015. [Select Committee on Benghazi Calls Clinton to Testify, 4/23/15]

·       Press Release: Benghazi Committee Releases Letter on State Department Compliance Failure, Clinton, May 14, 2015. [Benghazi Committee Releases Letter on State Department Compliance Failure, Clinton, 5/14/15]

·       Press Release: Statement on the Release of Secretary Clinton’s Benghazi Emails, May 22, 2015. [Statement on the Release of Secretary Clinton’s Benghazi Emails, 5/22/15]

·       Press Release: Select Committee Adds to Secretary Clinton’s Public Email Record, June 22, 2015. [Select Committee Adds to Secretary Clinton’s Public Email Record, 6/22/15]

·       Press Release: State Department Fails to Answer on New Clinton Emails, June 23, 2015. [State Department Fails to Answer on New Clinton Emails, 6/23/15]

·       Press Release: State Confirms Clinton Failed to Turn Over ALL Benghazi and Libya Documents, June 25, 2015. [State Confirms Clinton Failed to Turn Over ALL Benghazi and Libya Documents, 6/25/15]

·       Press Release: Gowdy Statement in Response to Clinton Comments on the Benghazi Committee, July 7, 2015. [Gowdy Statement in Response to Clinton Comments on the Benghazi Committee, 7/7/15]

·       Press Release: Select Committee on Benghazi Releases Clinton Subpoena, July 8, 2015. [Select Committee on Benghazi Releases Clinton Subpoena, 7/8/15]

·       Press Release: Statement by Chairman Gowdy on Reports of Classified Information in Secretary Clinton’s Emails, July 24, 2015. [Statement by Chairman Gowdy on Reports of Classified Information in Secretary Clinton’s Emails, 7/24/15]

·       Press Release: Statement from Select Committee Communications Director Regarding Clinton’s Testimony, July 25, 2015. [Statement from Select Committee Communications Director Regarding Clinton’s Testimony, 7/25/15]

·       Press Release: Select Committee Confirms Date for Appearance by Former Secretary of State Clinton, July 29, 2015. [Select Committee Confirms Date for Appearance by Former Secretary of State Clinton,7/29/15]

·       Press Release: Gowdy Statement on Secretary Clinton’s Decision to Turn over Server to the Department of Justice, August 11, 2015. [Gowdy Statement on Secretary Clinton’s Decision to Turn over Server to the Department of Justice, 8/11/15]