CBS Evening News: Republicans told us these were the quotes, that wasn’t true.

[DonViejo]

TPM Editor’s Blog

Wow, This is Pretty Epic

JOSH MARSHALL MAY 16, 2013, 7:12 PM

Generally, once partisan, tendentious sources leak information that turns out to be wrong, nothing’s ever done about it. That’s for many reasons, some good or somewhat understandable, mostly bad. But on CBS Evening News tonight, Major Garrett did something I don’t feel like I’ve seen in a really long time or maybe ever on a network news cast. He basically said straight out: Republicans told us these were the quotes, that wasn’t true. Quick transcript …

SCOTT PELLEY: Also at his news conference today the president called for tighter security for U.S. diplomatic facilities to prevent an attack like the one in Benghazi, Libya, last year that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Of course, Benghazi has become a political controversy. Republicans claim that the Administration watered down the facts in talking points that were given to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice for television appearances while Mr. Obama was running for reelection. Republicans on Capitol Hill claim that they had found proof of this in White House e-mails that they leaked to reporters last week. Well, it turns out some of the quotes in those e-mails were wrong. Major Garrett is at the White House for us tonight. Major?

MAJOR GARRETT: Scott, Republicans have claimed that the State Department under Hillary Clinton was trying to protect itself from criticism. The White House released the real e-mails late yesterday and here’s what we found when we compared them to the quotes that had been provided by Republicans. One e-mail was written by Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. On Friday, Republicans leaked what they said was a quote from Rhodes. “We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation.” But it turns out, in the actual e-mail Rhodes did not mention the State Department. It read “We need to resolve this in a way that respects all the relevant equities, particularly the investigation.” Republicans also provided what they said was a quote from an e-mail written by State Department Spokesman Victoria Nuland. The Republican version notes Nuland discussing: “The penultimate point is a paragraph talking about all the previous warnings provided by the Agency (CIA) about al-Qaeda’s presence and activities of al-Qaeda.” The actual e-mail from Nuland says: the “…penultimate point could be abused by Members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings…” The C.I.A. agreed with the concerns raised by the State Department and revised the talking points to make them less specific than the C.I.A.’s original version, eliminating references to al-Qaeda and affiliates and earlier security warnings. There is no evidence, Scott, the White House orchestrated these changes.

(ed.note: This is a rush transcription so some spelling and capitalization is off)

###

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/05/wow_this_is_pretty_epic.php?ref=fpblg

[BlueStreak]

1. Even after all that, the media still can't just come out and say "they lied"

I can barely follow Garret's double talk.

And of course, the next question is "why did you accept the GOP claims as fact without verifying them yourselves? What kind of journalist includes this kind of trash in their reports in the first place?

What is the rush to whip up new accounts of Benghazi? What was done is done. There is no purpose served by engaging in "breaking news races" at this stage when we have already had about 20 such false claims by McCain and company. Why not take the time to actually get the facts right for a change, Mr. Garrett?

And while you are at it, why don't you try that with the IRS story too?

[Cha]

2. K&..I've seen this but in a different forum and it can't get

passed around enough.

On Friday, Republicans leaked what they said was a quote from Rhodes. “We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation.” But it turns out, in the actual e-mail Rhodes did not mention the State Department. It read “We need to resolve this in a way that respects all the relevant equities, particularly the investigation.”

Who knew we'd ever be seeing something like this from Major Garrett, formerly of fox "news"?


thanks DV

[Doctor_J]

3. let the firing and black balling commence

Just like with Dan rather.

Why don't they just admit - they work for the republicans.

[Sunlei]

4. republicans that changed the quotes and lied should lose their positions.

edit to place in..MEDIA SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT ALL THE PRESS RELEASES REPUBS SEND OUT MAY NOT BE TRUTH AND CAREFULLY CHECK EVERY SOURCE.