Benghazi: Episode 6 - Radicals
Summary
This finale contrasts the FBI’s criminal investigation, which captured militia leader Abu Qatala, with the partisan congressional probe led by Trey Gowdy. While the DOJ focused on terrorism, Republicans sought political leverage against Hillary Clinton. The episode details how the Select Committee’s slow pace and eventual discovery of Clinton’s private email server shifted the scandal from foreign policy failures to a personal controversy, defining her political legacy.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and intro
Benghazi as a political Rorschach test
Sponsors and show promo
FBI investigation begins
Identifying Ahmed Abu Qatala
Abu Qatala's public profile and denial
Congressional investigations and Tea Party pressure
John Boehner's resistance to a select committee
Boehner's deal with Roger Ailes
Creation of the Benghazi Select Committee
The committee's slow start and internal dynamics
Capture of Ahmed Abu Qatala
Sponsors and show promo
The Hillary Clinton email scandal emerges
Political fallout and Kevin McCarthy's comments
Hillary Clinton's testimony before the committee
The final report and Abu Qatala's sentencing
Legacy of Chris Stevens and Libya's fate
Credits and sponsors
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