Like a good leftist media foot soldier, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell expressed concern Monday that the upcoming film 13 Hours, about the 2012 Benghazi attack that left four Americans dead including Ambassador Chris Stevens, might give rise to "conspiracy theories" that could hurt Hillary Clinton's chances at the presidency.
"How could it affect Hillary Clinton's campaign?" That was the topic on Mitchell's show featuring two Washington Post contributors, according to Newsbusters. She was referring to 13 Hours, directed by Michael Bay and starring John Krasinski, which opens in theaters nationwide this Friday (the photo above is from the film). The movie is based on the book written by members of the security team actually on the ground during the Benghazi attack.
Mitchell began:
“That new film about Benghazi coming out this week could give wider circulation to conspiracy theories, despite denials, that CIA operatives were told to stand down and not rescue four Americans, including an ambassador, who died in that assault.
"[J]ust last week I was interviewing Leon Panetta, who headed the Pentagon, and he and CIA top officials are denying to the Benghazi select committee that this ever happened. But this is a movie, and you know, how does Clinton-world deal with it?"
Newbusters points out that Panetta has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, so he might not be the most objective source.
So how does the Clinton campaign deal with it, Mitchell wondered? WaPo's Anne Gearan responded:
“Well, I mean, Clinton herself has denied it and it sort of ceases to matter how many officials do deny it, it is something that has gained currency, as you mentioned, as a conspiracy theory largely on the right...
"It's really a hard thing for the campaign to deal with because all they've got is essentially they’ve got history and facts on their side. They can say, 'Look, this didn't happen, here are 18 people who say it didn't happen.' If people believe that it might have happened or that Hillary Clinton isn't telling the truth, then they’re probably going to continue to believe that.”
Message received: Hillary has "history and facts" on her side, and anyone on the right who wants the truth is in denial and wearing a tinfoil hat.
Newbusters notes that in a recent exclusive interview with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, three of men who fought in Benghazi and were depicted in the movie all confirmed that they were told to stand down multiple times rather than rescue of Ambassador Stevens and the other Americans. In a January 5 interview with actor John Krasinski on ABC’s Good Morning America about the film, anchor Lara Spencer worried that 13 Hours would “re-open the wound, the debate of what happened in Benghazi.”
It should reopen the debate. But reopen the "wound"? As long as Hillary is not held accountable for the deaths of those four Americans, not to mention the debacle she created in Libya, the wound will continue to fester. The movie is not reopening a wound for anyone but Hillary.