Benghazi Select Committee Chairman Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said former Benghazi committee investigator Maj. Bradley Podliska’s lawyers sent him a letter saying “they don’t want to discuss this publicly anymore” “as soon as some facts started trickling out” on Monday’s “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.”
Gowdy said, “the most interesting thing happened this afternoon, Greta. I got a letter from his lawyers that they don’t want to discuss this publicly anymore. They were happy to discuss it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, when they were making these incendiary allegations, but as soon as some facts started trickling out, now they don’t want to talk about it. They want it to be confidential. Let me just tell you and your viewers this. He left in June of this year. So, he doesn’t have any idea what our committee has done since June, but I will be happy to tell him. We’ve done 50 witness interviews since the email story broke, 50. Precisely one of them has been exclusively related to her email, and that was Bryan Pagliano. And as you recall, Greta, that was a really short interview, because he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege. We have done 14 DOD and intel witnesses which, of course, would have nothing to do with Secretary Clinton. So, out of 50, one has been exclusively related to her. I’m bad with math, but I think that’s 2%.”
When asked about Podliska’s allegation that there was retaliation because of his desire to go on active duty, Gowdy responded, “Well, Greta, I can tell you this, his leave was approved every time he wanted to go, and my top lawyer was the top lawyer for the United States Army. He’s a three-star general, whose reputation for honor and integrity is unassailable. He’s the top lawyer for the Army, a three-star general. So if anyone would understand the rights of reservists, it would be my chief counsel. So, I don’t care what the democrats say about me, Greta. I’ve been in the courtroom for 16 years. I’ve heard it before, but I’ve got women and men downstairs who are professional, they are character-driven, they are former federal prosecutors, former House ethics attorneys, a former three-star United States general. So, I’ll just be damned if I’m going to let anybody besmirch their reputation.”
Gowdy was also asked if Podliska was fired, he answered that he was “unclear,” and added “the very first time anyone ever heard an allegation about Secretary Clinton was Friday, this past Friday, never once before.
Gowdy also talked about his committee obtaining former Ambassador Chris Stevens’ emails, stating, “for the very first time, a committee of Congress bothered to ask for all of his emails. So when you hear my House Democrat colleagues talk about the seven previous congressional committees, not a single one of them bothered to ask for the emails of our former ambassador.” He clarified that previous congressional investigations either didn’t ask for Stevens’ emails “or they didn’t press.”
Gowdy concluded that there is “zero” chance he will run for speaker, and “There’s a gentleman from Wisconsin that I think is uniquely well-qualified, and I’m from South Carolina.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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