Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That is it for this special report, fair, balanced and unafraid. Greta goes on the record right now. Im Greta Van Susteren and this is on the record. Congressman trey gowdy only here on the record. There was a systematic intentional decision to withhold certain documents from congress and were just sick of it. The South Carolina congressman leading the new benghazi select committee. Decide whether an old washed up prosecutor from South Carolina is good enough or not i will volunteer to be a summer intern. Condoleezza rice is out. Its possible to live in an echo chamber that serves only to reinforce your high opinion of yourself and what you think. Is free speech a fiction at Rutgers University . Karl rove strikes back at
the university silencing secretary rice. Shame on the rutgers faculty. Shame on them. My personal offer to rutgers. Then an American Marine right now sitting in a mexican prison. Two tours in afghanistan and this is by far the hardest mainly because its the fear of the unknown. Get ready for jampacked ontherecord tonight. Up first the chairman select Committee BenghaziRepresentative Trey Gowdy joins us. Good evening soon to be chairman mr. Gowdy. How are you . Im doing well. This is a partisan, this is a witchhunt. How are you going to convince the American People that this is going to be a fair hearing, a fair investigation . Well, greta, your viewers auto would still have the same Unanswered Questions as we have. Why our so low on 9 11. Why we didnt have any assets moving during the siege itself and why the government cant answer your questions completely and
accurately in the aftermath. The jury im interested in are reasonable minded, fair minded people like your viewers, washington is its own ecosystem. They wouldnt like it if i cured malaria tonight. I mean because im a republican. So, of course they are going to be critical. Thats not the jury. Although i would tell adam and some of my other colleagues to at least let us have a hearing before you judge it. I mean, let the committee be constituted and the rules be adopted before you declare it to be a political exercise. Thats not too much to ask, is it. You refer to adam, i take it you mean congressman adam schiff and he has said that ,d
is, look, republicans hired you and gave you your job in california. The democrats gave me a job. Back in the 1990s, at least let the process have a chance to work before you declare it null and void. You know, there have been a number of hearings though. What would make this different a select committee. 10, 1213 hearings by different committees. Why is this different . Its been so fragmented greta as you know. I cant even attend the Intel Committee hearing. I have no idea what they have uncovered. Just like they dont come to the ojr, the oversight committee. We need a list of the witnesses that have been talked to and which ones are left to be talked to. We need a list of the documents and by the way im not interested in redacted documents or an overclassification. I want the documents. So i want all of the evidence and then people can
draw different conclusions from those facts in evidence. But you cant draw conclusions if you dont have all the facts. And what this committee is going to do is once and for allly out all the facts and then your jury can draw whatever inferences and conclusions they want to. All right. You mentioned the classified documents. I have had a beef with washington for whoever long i have been here. Any time anyone hides anything, republican or democrat the trick is to classify it are you willing to go through the documents and do you have the power and the authority to declassify any documents you think were overclassified that shouldnt be kept secret from the American People . Speaker boehner is going to give us whatever power we need to get to the bottom of it. Jason chaffets was on another show today showing the discrepancy between two documents that were produced. Ostensibly the same document. But this had reactions that that one did not have in it. And thats inexclusive when you live in a free and open society where you are supposed to have access to
the truth and the facts. Solt speaker is going to give us the tools that we need to be able to answer everyones questions when the select committee has completed its work. You told me right here that you have evidence that not only are they, meaning the Obama Administration hiding it but there is an intend to hide it. I cant disclose that evidence yet but i have evidence that there is systemic intention to withhold certain documents from congress. Will we see those documents . Yeah. Well, you know, i cant prove to you what i dont know. I dont know whether the documents have been destroyed. I know, this that there are are witnesses that have the courage to come forward and share with us that there was a systematic effort to keep certain documents take the arb, for instance. Does anyone really believe the arb had access to all of the documents and all of the witnesses . I dont know anyone who believes that. So, necessarily, that undercuts whatever findings they may have found. Im telling you this if a
document exists, regardless of classification, we need to have access to it. That does not necessarily mean that it will be public. But, as you noted, there is an overclassification to protect peoples reputations and careers. And that is not a legitimate reason to classify a document. Just because you are worried that it may hurt feelings or impact your career. You mentioned the arb. That was the state Department Board that looked at benghazi and according to the information i have, is they looked at an after action report by the military. Actually, they didnt look at it a summary was read to them. They didnt see they didnt read the whole thing. They didnt read it themselves. Are you going to be able to get to that after action report by the military so we can find out what the military was saying within hours and days of september 11th, 2012 . Yes, maam. Im not going to rely on any summaries. Greta, you are a very good lawyer. There is a reason you cant just summarize evidence in front of the jury. The jury has a right to hear
the question. They can judge the credibility of the witness. The credibility can be impeached. Im not interested in summaries. Im not interested in sin nope cease. Im interested in access to the document and the witness and i will decide whether or not i think the appropriate questions were asked in the past how can i til tell your viewers whether she was aware that the fittlez had been attacked before in benghazi or that the British Ambassador had been intact. How can i answer that question if the arb never saw fit to even interview the secretary of state . There is another document that was tweeted today or series of documents. The president ial daily briefings for september 11th, 12, 13th, 14th. I dont know what days but some precedent for the Bush Administration releasing. Those are the briefings from the cia to the present that would tell us what the Intelligence Community from the cia thought happened on the 10th or on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. Will you seek to see those and will you urge a disclosure of those to the people . I want to see every single solitary relevant material document. In fact, i want it see everything for which there can be any argument that it is relevant and then we can judge whether or not its material. For all i know the Intel Committee has already seen the document you referenced which is another reason the speaker did what he did because we have been fragmented and what intel knows, oversight and Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security would not know. Do you have an end point . Because one of the things that people always worry about in investigations that they take on a life of their own and doing this for the next 100 years. Do you have some sort of mission that this will be finished by a particular date. I guess no matter what everyones concern will be before mid terms, after mid terms, that will have a political implication. People will say do you have sort of in your mind when you want to have this finished . I think the resolution that the house is going to take up is going to have a
date in it. That date has not been shared with me, greta. But you also know if there is a systematic intent to withhold you know, the state Department Said just this week that they are in the process of complying with subpoenas. Well, its been 20 months. How long does it take to comply with the document request . There is no judge in america that would lou you 20 months to comply with a subpoena. So, part of the answer to your question depends upon how forthcoming and how willing this administration is to provide access to the witnesses, and the documents. But with respect to politics, greta, i would just say this there are certain things in our culture that have to transcend politics. And i dont mean to sound naive, but the murder of four fellow americans and an attack on a facility that is elm policemennatic of our country should transcend politics. And i know that our fellow citizens can handle the truth, but only if they get access to it. They can draw their own
conclusions about politics. Who is at fault, who is not at fault. But they cant do it if they dont have access to all the documents and all the witnesses. Congressman, thank you, sir. And, of course, there are a few technical glitches with the studio. I dont know if you know it i do hope you will come back again anyway. Thank you, sir. Yes, maam, thank you. And republicans and democrats already battling over the benghazi select committee. Republican representative peter king slamming democratic representative adam schiffs call for a committee boycott. Joining us House Majority leader eric cantor. Good evening, sir. Hey, greta. Good evening. What do you think about congressman schiff saying that there should be a boycott, democrats shouldnt participate in this select committee . Well, you know, i would hope that democrats, just like republicans, want to get to the bottom of the situation here and get the facts out there. The public has a right to know what else the white house is covering up, what else are they hiding . And i also think that the democrats just like
republicans, should want to make sure that a president does not and cannot just ignore the congressional oversight process. And clearly we have an instance here where there was a court order that resulted in the revelation of an email that the white house had been withholding from congressional subpoena. Again, im hopeful and i think that they ultimately will do the right thing and participate in this process. What difference though you have had there have been 14 committee hearings. Why does the select committee make this any different . How does the select committee more able to get that particular for instance that email that was the subject of a court order . What makes a select committee any more efficient or able to get that . Obviously didnt get it here. Than the series of committees . Well, first of all, you know, i am proud of the work that has been done thus far. There has been a lot of serious work to try and get to the bottom of this situation. Obviously the long standing impact here is about being honest with the public and stopping any kind of deceit
or coverup on the part of the white house. Ommittee will be able to focus its energies in insuring that the white house is going to be held accountable and that it cannot just ignore congressional oversight. You know, this is a part of our government, part of the checks and balances that we are about. And i know that we are going to embark with chairman gowdys leadership on a very serious effort to make sure thats this has exposed and long standing to make sure our policy in the middle east and in north africa actually can be one that will stop any future terrorist attack from occurring. The committee is not a done deal. There still has to be a vote; is that correct, from a house to form this committee . Right. There will be a vote this week to form this Committee Going forward and i know that chairman gowdy
legislature is going to it do a great job in leading this effort. Do you expect the democrats will really refuse a position on that committee . I mean is, that or is that just some saber rattling . You know, i cant see how the American People are going to put up with a refusal to participate in a serious process that wants to get to the bottom of what has clearly been deceitful action. That the white house has not been forthcoming in response to congressional subpoenas. And, just as it has been doing in the area of legislation and policymaking, decided just to ignore congress. And the fact is now, its all caught up with them and were going to be now engaged in a process of a select committee that will be focusing on trying to find out what else is the white house hiding . What else have the American People been denied in terms of their right to know . Im a big believer and it takes as long as you have. So i i sort of like to give
things a time limit. Have you given this investigation a time limit to this doesnt become part of, you know, part of all of our lives forever . I am a big believer in that too, greta. I think that the resolution that will be creating this select committee will stay very clearly with the mission is. And, a time to us to wrap things up with take aways. We want them to realize their right to know and again i would say long term we want to make sure that the policies that the white house has been about in terms of the any terrorist policies can be corrected so that this type of event, where an ambassador is killed and other people serving our country is killed in an embassy setting does not happen again. Majority leader, thank you, sir. Thank you, greta. Where was president obama during the deadly terror
attack . Here is what former National SecurityCouncil Spokesperson tommy vetoer told bret baier. I was in the situation room that night. We didnt know where the ambassador was definitively. Was the president in the situation room . No. And the fact that your network at one time reported that he watched video feed of the attack as it was ongoing is part of what i think has been a pattern of inaccurate. Where was the president . In the white house. So where was the president . Senators john mccain and Lindsey Graham and kelly ayotte writing directly to president obama demanding an answer to that he question and senator mccain joins us. Nice to see you, sir. Thank you, greta. May i just say this young man gowdy is right out of the Lindsey Graham mold. I think he is an excellent dhirm chair this committee he he is a smart young man just like his uncle Lindsey Graham. He has a big job. Have you sent a letter to the white house. Demanding to know where president obama was the night of september 11th,
2012. Why do you want to he know that . The president of the United States while an ongoing tragedy is taking place our consulate being under attack, you would think that, like the video that we saw of the strike on usama bin laden, that we would see many pictures of the president attentive. All we know is that he was briefed by panetta and dempsey and they left and there was no further communication. Could i say, first of all, i think its important that the Democrats Join in this. When Joe Lieberman and i said we ought to have a 9 11 commission, the Bush Administration didnt want it. When Abu Abu Ghraib happened i condemned it waterboarding i condemned it those were all under the Bush Administration and for them to say that this is partisan, look, if there is nothing to it, as they are saying there is nothing to it, they should want this committee because then they will prove themselves right. Then they would be able to say hey, see, i told you there is nothing wrong with
it. They are scared to death. I have never seen anything like after 19 months the emails concerning their priorities and the president s spokesperson saying that it had nothing to do with benghazi. Now, that has reached a new point. You are talking about press secretary jay carney . Im talking about jay carney. I knew him for years. I knew him as a pretty straightforward journalist. He has destroyed his own reputation by that statement that what clearly was the talking points, which had saying it had nothing to do with benghazi. That, to me, is an alltime low for a president ial spokesperson. I didnt have any particular interest in where the president was that night. I assumed that he was busy working on this as all president s are. The fact that they wont tell us has made me enormously suspicious. This guy that they sent, tommy veiter that i had never seen until the other night. So flip about it he is the one in the situation room. Didnt remember after all. But since when does 19 months go by and it has to be a court order for information. You know, in return for the confirmation of brennan as cia director. We were all told that everything to do with benghazi would be released. Now the question is, is what else dont we know about it . And whats been destroyed . I dont like the fact that everything was requested not provided and then a court order and you know now im even more suspicious because they didnt provide it when theyre supposed to. Of course now and now as gowdy just said, whats been redacted . There has got to be a thorough review. I would love to see harry reid say yeah we will make this bi cameral select committee. I think it rises to that level. Obviously that wont happen. So its really too bad. And if democrats refuse to take part in this commission, this committee, and more information comes