Congressional Republicans are currently attending a couples retreat with their new spouse, President Donald Trump, to see if they can work it all out. But while Trump’s agenda has been pretty clear—in a terrifying way—over the past week, the congressional GOP is lagging behind. If Trump has spent the last week turning his Greatest Hits into laws—banning Muslims, building walls, gutting regulations and federal agencies—than the congressional GOP also want to play their Greatest Hits.
Politico reports that congressional Republicans took Vice President Mike Pence aside at their Philadelphia retreat to ask if they could please continue talking about Benghazi please:
At the GOP retreat here in Philadelphia, a handful of the House’s most conservative lawmakers peppered Pence with questions on topics ranging from the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack to the 2013 IRS tea party-targeting scandal. One member also applauded President Donald Trump’s insistence that widespread voter fraud occurred during the 2016 election, offering up congressional help in any investigation....
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) spoke during the meeting, and said the intelligence community lied about what happened in Benghazi, Libya. Sources in the room said it was hard to follow, but Pence politely thanked him and suggested he and Trump would look into it.
If you’ve ever listened to Gohmert guest host Sean Hannity’s radio show, you’ll know that “hard to follow” is as big an understatement as it gets. But as Politico notes, “it’s a sign that while Republicans might control the levers of power in Washington, some are having trouble moving on from old run-ins with the Obama administration.” This is hilarious because these scandals were exaggerated and inflated for the sole purpose of damaging President Obama and Presumptive President Hillary Clinton. But somewhere in the mix they apparently forgot that these investigations weren’t about uncovering the sordid truth, they were cynical political exercises designed to produce one outcome: To win the presidency and both houses of Congress. Which they did.
Of course, there’s no real reason for Trump and Pence to acquiesce and let Congressional Republicans investigate the chem trails that were reportedly spotted over Benghazi—at least not right now. The purpose of these investigations was to distract and damage, and with Trump in the White House, priorities have shifted. But there are signs of a divide between Trump and GOP leaders—if one emerges, it’s possible that Trump and Bannon will throw a couple old-ass bones their way. Benghazi now, Benghazi forever!