The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

Breaking News
  • February 27Mysterious burning smell permeates campus; cause under investigation
  • December 17Acting Chancellor Smith named new permanent SDCCD chancellor
  • December 17Women's Volleyball claims state title

The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

Does a transparent administration lie to the public?

Republicans in the House of Representatives have announced their intention to form a select committee to investigate the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi on Sep. 11th, 2012. This committee is being formed as a result of newly released emails showing administration officials knew the attacks were not due to an anti-Islam Youtube video, as was originally claimed, but were a pre-planned terrorist attack.

These emails clearly show that the administration willingly and knowingly crafted bogus “talking points” to avoid hurting President Obama’s chances in the 2012 election. The race with Mitt Romney was too close to call at the time of the attacks. A few days before the attacks occurred, Vice President Biden famously said, “GM is alive and bin Laden is dead.” A terrorist attack immediately following these remarks would have cast doubt on the temerity of this statement.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., is among the candidates being considered to head the committee, and Speaker of the House John Boehner has already indicated that he is willing to subpoena Sec. of State John Kerry.

Most mainstream media outlets have avoided discussion of Benghazi, taking the President at his word that these were “phony scandals.” The real scandal here is government bureaucrats going out and lying to the American people about something to protect the re-election chances of their boss. The press in America has been just as culpable as the people telling the lies in the first place, by ignoring or dismissing questions about Benghazi. At best, it is a systematic failure; at worst – a clear-cut example of a compliant media running interference for the President.

Story continues below advertisement

Susan Rice made the rounds on all the Sunday talk shows, repeating these “talking points” and blaming a Youtube video for offending Muslims, the whole time knowing this wasn’t true. One of the worst parts about this story is that the man behind the video supposedly responsible was thrown in jail on trumped-up charges as a result of this controversy.

At this point, there is absolutely no doubt that Benghazi was a terrorist attack, and not a “spontaneous protest,” as the administration has claimed. A recent poll by Fox News shows that 61% of Americans believe the administration has engaged in a cover-up. The new emails were only released as a result of a lawsuit, and came despite efforts by the administration to stonewall any investigation.

These emails represent the smoking gun. This is direct evidence that, at the very least, the State Department knowingly lied to the American people. If there’s one behavior that the American public will not tolerate, it is being lied to by their government. Partisan politics don’t enter a normal person’s thought process when they find out they’ve been lied to; they cast aside party loyalty and condemn any public servant who lies to them – and rightfully so.

Perhaps the President didn’t have any knowledge of what happened after Benghazi – he was at an important fundraiser in Las Vegas when the attacks happened, after all.

He should be given the benefit of the doubt. However, he promised the “most transparent administration in history.” Does a transparent administration lie to the public, and continue to do so for two years after the fact?

View Comments (1)
Donate to The Mesa Press
$270
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of San Diego Mesa College. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributor
Josh Champlin, Sports Editor
Originally from Lyons, Michigan, I have lived all over the US, and have traveled extensively. I worked as the sports editor for the Mesa Press last semester, and will be concentrating on writing for the upcoming term. I am a journalism major, and enjoy reading, writing, politics, history, and sports, especially Michigan football and basketball, the Detroit Tigers, and the Detroit Red Wings.
Donate to The Mesa Press
$270
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (1)

Here at The Mesa Press, we want to foster a community for civil discussions. We welcome your insight and perspective. Comments posted must be appropriate for all ages. Any profanity or cursing is prohibited. That includes any attempts to curse with special characters (!@#) or spacing. Discuss and criticize ideas. We don’t allow comments that intend to intimidate, demean or harass other readers in any way.
All The Mesa Press Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • C

    chas holmanMay 8, 2014 at 11:04 pm

    When the first 8 investigations they did wasted time and money for nothing, they do a 9th.

    I reckon it is almost 1/5th better than doing 50 rounds of trying to appeal the ACA without a single productive thing from it.

    I wonder how many millions of dollars and thousands of hours of lost man hours and productivity this round of GOP fundraising will cost the rest of us?

    Reply