Fox News' Chris Wallace Says GOP Has Double Standard After Benghazi Closed-Door Talks
Fox News host Chris Wallace questioned the Republican response to House Democrats’ closed-door impeachment inquiry hearings on Sunday, citing the GOP’s behavior during the 2014-15 Benghazi hearings.
Interviewing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on “Fox News Sunday,” Wallace pushed back on Conway’s complaint that the House’s impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump was being conducted in secret.
“When the Republicans had control of the House in 2017 and ’18, they conducted the investigation about Russia and interference in 2016 behind closed doors. When Republicans did the Benghazi investigation, they conducted it behind closed doors,” Wallace said.
The host then cut to a clip of former South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Republican who chaired the House’s Select Committee on Benghazi, saying in a November 2018 interview that “people act differently when there aren’t cameras in the room.”
“Trust me when I say that: They’re very constructive interviews when there is no camera.”
Wallace asked Conway why the closed-door hearings were acceptable then but inappropriate now.
“So why is it OK for Republicans, when they’re in charge, to conduct hearings, depositions, interviews behind closed doors, but it’s unacceptable for Democrats?” he asked.
The White House counselor responded by drawing a distinction between an investigation regarding foreign affairs and the impeachment of a duly elected president.
Watch the whole exchange below.
“Respectfully, Chris,” Conway responded, “this is about impeaching a president of the United States.”
Wallace interjected to press Conway on the seriousness of the Benghazi hearings.
“But Benghazi was about four Americans who died,” he said.
The host then asked again why closed-door hearings were permissible in 2015 but not anymore.
Conway answered by doubling down on the difference between the GOP Benghazi hearings and the current Democratic impeachment inquiry.
“I think there is no analogy to the ultimate result here, the ultimate goal here, which is to impeach a president and remove him from office,” she said.
“This is an extraordinary event that should be undertaken in the most extraordinary proven circumstances and we’re nowhere near that.”
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