The media is still rife with speculation and accusation surrounding the tragic terrorist attack on September 11, 2012, when armed militants in Benghazi, the rebel headquarters in war-torn Libya, stormed a U.S. diplomatic mission and ultimately took the lives of several Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Congressional Republicans have intensely investigated the event, which has included requests regarding emails exchanged between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Department of State in the aftermath of the attacks. While initially White House officials claimed that adjustments to so-called talking points for spokespersons were stylistic, newly released emails suggest that some in the Obama administration actively sought to contain the spread of reputation-damaging information.
According to ABC News, which conducted an analysis of the emails that were sent over the course of two days, some involved in the process were actively concerned that Congressional Republicans could use the contents against the president.
"[This information] could be used by Members [of Congress] to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings so why do we want to feed that? Concerned…," wrote Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the State Department.
The question remains, however, if the revelations are any more damaging than previous accusations from the GOP. For example, General David Petraeus – at the time director of the CIA – argued that the talking points should have been abandoned altogether. Yet apart from the political considerations expressed by Nuland, the emails don't necessarily betray any attempt to mask information from the general public.
Whatever the outcome, this scandal – coupled with those surrounding the IRS and the Justice Department – is a serious discredit to the Obama administration. Americans may want to take this as a sign that financial independence, which can be achieved through smart investing in assets like cash flow real estate, should be a top concern.