Americans across the political spectrum aren’t entirely convinced that the truth aboutthe Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya has been fully uncovered, and think Congress should continue investigating the matter to find out whether the White House acted improperly during its handling of the attack, a Fox News poll released Friday reported.
The poll found that two in three Americans – including 50 percent of Democrats – believe that Congress should continue to investigate the White House’s role in managing the attack, which resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Just 31 percent of Americans think Congress should move on from its Benghazi investigations.
House Republicans, led by Government and Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), have ferociously led the charge to continue the investigation, even going so far as to set up a website earlier this month that promises to bring the facts about the assault “straight to the American people.”
“The families of the fallen – and the American people – deserve to know the truth. They deserve justice,” a release issued by House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) said. “After being stonewalled, House committees began a serious, exhaustive, and deliberate investigation into what led up to this tragic event, what transpired, and why the White House refused – and still refuses – to tell the whole truth.”
Benghazi will also be a key issue in the 2016 presidential race, as presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s political future hangs on the balance of any potential investigation. Clinton was serving as Secretary of State for President Barack Obama at the time of the attack, and recently acknowledged in a speech before the National Automotive Dealers Association that her role in the scandal is her biggest political regret.
“My biggest, you know, regret is what happened in Benghazi,” she said. “It was a terrible tragedy, losing four Americans, two diplomats and, now it’s public, so I can say two CIA operatives.”
At the same time, many in the mainstream media continue to doubt that there is any controversy surrounding the attack at Benghazi – especially when compared to real scandals like “Bridgegate.” HBO talk show host Bill Maher asserted on his show Friday evening that Benghazi isn’t a scandal at all, as he tried to convince MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow that her network might want to dial back its coverage of “Bridgegate” before the issue becomes its “Benghazi.”
Addressing a ‘break-up letter’ he penned to the liberal cable news network on Valentine’s Day, Maher said, ”I should have said that… yes, [Bridgegate] is not the same as Benghazi. I made that analogy, but I said this is your ‘Benghazi’. Benghazi is a real – Benghazi is nothing – there is no scandal there. This [Bridgegate] is an actual scandal.”
Fox News surveyed 1,006 registered voters nationwide via telephone from Feb. 9-11, 2014. The study has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Americans still think there’s more to learn about Benghazi – and want Congress to keep searching for the truth
