L.A. Times’ smug Benghazi narrative destroyed

The Sept. 11-12, 2012 attacks on two U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, killed two San Diego County residents — CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods — and a San Diego native, information officer Sean Smith, in addition to U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

But the Los Angeles Times editorial page has long bought the idea that the real scandal about Benghazi is that the Republicans tried to make an issue out of it during the 2012 presidential race and that House oversight committee chairman Darrell Issa, R-Vista, has kept demanding more answers from the Obama administration. This is from a sanctimonious May editorial after the White House finally released emails related to Benghazi after eight months of stalling:

“On Monday, an exasperated Obama, referring to the emails, said: ‘There’s no ‘there’ there.’ The same is true of the allegation of a broader Benghazi coverup. And now that we know, let’s move on.”

This lap-doggery from most of the media inspired the president’s jab earlier this week that the Republicans were obsessed with “phony scandals.” That he did so even as his administration stonewalled IRS probes is insulting. But Barack Obama might be regretting the claim now that CNN has figured out a key part of the Benghazi mystery: who is driving the cover up.

“CNN has uncovered exclusive new information about what is allegedly happening at the CIA, in the wake of the deadly Benghazi terror attack.

“Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya.

“Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret. CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency’s Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out.

“Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency’s missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency’s workings. The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress.

“It is being described as pure intimidation, with the threat that any unauthorized CIA employee who leaks information could face the end of his or her career. In exclusive communications obtained by CNN, one insider writes, ‘You don’t jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well.'”

Will Times finally now acknowledge Benghazi coverup?

Will the Los Angeles Times still pretend Benghazi isn’t a true scandal featuring a massive coverup?

Of course. That’s what lapdogs do.

Good for Jake Tapper and CNN. In a shocking development, they did their jobs, even though it embarrassed the Democrat in the White House.