Chad’s Morning Brief: Benghazi Emails Released, Dewhurst Wants Probe of Texas Abortion Doctor, Economic Development in Lubbock, & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of May 16, 2013. Give me your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am.
1. State Dept. & Benghazi (link)
The White House released 100 pages of emails related to Benghazi yesterday, and the emails show exactly what the White House did not want you to know. The State Department repeatedly watered down language and objected to references to Al Qaeda.
State Department officials repeatedly objected to -- and tried to water down -- references to Al Qaeda and prior security warnings in the administration's initial internal story-line on the Benghazi attack, according to dozens of emails and notes released by the White House late Wednesday.
The documents also showed the White House, along with several other departments, played a role in editing the so-called "talking points," despite claims from the White House that it was barely involved. And they showed then-CIA Director David Petraeus objected to the watered-down version that would ultimately be used as the basis for U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's flawed comments on several TV shows the Sunday after the attack.
"Frankly, I'd just as soon not use this," Petraeus told his deputy in a Sept. 15 email.
The documents were released under pressure after whistle-blowers testified on the Hill and some email excerpts leaked to the media last week.
The 100-page file showed that State Department officials were even more heavily involved in editing the "talking points" than was previously known.
One email sent the Friday night after the attack from an unknown official said: "The State Department had major reservations with much or most of the document."
Individual emails leading up to that assessment show State officials repeatedly objecting to the intelligence community's early version of events.
The early versions stated that "Islamic extremists with ties to Al Qaeda" participated in the assault and discussed links to militant group Ansar al Sharia -- and referenced prior attacks against western targets in Benghazi, as well as intelligence warnings.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland complained that she had "serious concerns" about "arming members of Congress" to make assertions the administration was not making. "In same vein, why do we want Hill to be fingering Ansar al Sharia, when we aren't doing that ourselves until we have investigation results ... and the penultimate point could be abused by Members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings so why do we want to feed that either? Concerned ..."
She also wrote that the line saying the administration knows there were extremists among the demonstrators "will come back to us at podium," voicing concern that some would question how the administration knows that. She said she would "need answers" if that line is used.
In response to her concerns, Assistant Secretary of State David S. Adams voiced agreement. He said the line about prior incidents "will read to members like we had been repeatedly warned."
Sure sounds like a cover-up to me.
2. Dewhurst Demands Probe of Texas Abortion Doctor (link)
Is Texas home to the next Kermit Gosnell? Lt. Governor David Dewhurst demanded yesterday an investigation into an abortion doctor in Texas. Abortion doctor Douglas Karpen is accused of terrible practices at his clinic. Including illegal late-term abortions and babies with with their necks cut.
The Lt. Governor of Texas is today demanding an investigation of an abortion practitioner who is considered the second Kermit Gosnell.
A new video released yesterday has three former abortion clinic employees of abortion practitioner Douglas Karpen exposing horrific practices that took place at his abortion clinic.
The three informants, Deborah Edge, Gigi Aguliar, and Krystal Rodriguez, have come forward to tell of their horrific experiences working for him at one of three of his Texas abortion clinics, the Aaron Women’s Clinic in Houston. A fourth informant has co-operated with Operation Rescue, filing an affidavit about her experiences, but remains at this time anonymous.
These women brought forward evidence of illegal late-term abortions in the form of photos taken on their cell phones at the Karpen’s clinic on Schumacher Lane in Houston.
The photos were scandalous. They depicted two babies aborted well beyond the legal limit of 24 weeks in Texas. Their necks had been cut.
“The photos show babies that are huge, with gashes in their necks, indicating that these babies were likely born alive, then killed, just as Kermit Gosnell did at his ‘House of Horrors’ clinic in Philadelphia,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “In fact, there are numerous similarities between Karpen and the Gosnell case, including the disregarding of complaints by the authorities that allowed both men to continue their illegal operations.”
That a second Kermit Gosnell would be operating in Texas is so revolting that Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is demanding an investigation.
“In a week when serial murderer Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of killing babies, I read with disgust about the allegations of Houston-based abortionist Douglas Karpen performing illegal late-term abortions surrounded by appalling sanitary conditions in his clinic,” he said.
“The Harris County authorities should perform a full-scale investigation and take action against those who broke state law,” he added.
UPDATE: The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced it has begun a probe into Karpen.
Just no words describe what has been alleged here.
3. Economic Development
Today on the show we will continue to talk about Imagine Downtown Lubbock Together.
Two of the main elements the ILT came up with had to deal with economic development in Lubbock. The group wants to see more businesses and places to eat come to Lubbock. In fact, they even recommend that a group is formed to bring in more business.
Which made me wonder what happened to LEDA. Isn't the Lubbock Economic Development Association supposed to be doing this?
***UPDATE*** Speaking of LEDA, CEO John Osborne tweeted this today:
Thanks for the tweet John. Though I still don't see why there needs to be another organization to promote economic development.
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com
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