Says Barack Obama "referred to the carnage that took place in Benghazi as a conspiracy theory."
Shocker! A conspiracy-minded website is appalled that former President Barack Obama dismissed a conspiracy theory. The day after Obama spoke in Anaheim, Calif., to gin up support for Democrats in the midterm elections, the website American Viral Patriot posted an article headlined "Obama Disrespects Heroes Of Benghazi, Calls It ‘Wild Conspiracy Theory,’ Survivor Cleans His Clock." The Sept. 9 item said that in that speech, Obama "referred to the carnage that took place in Benghazi as a conspiracy theory." No, he didn’t. (And by the way, Obama gave the speech in question a day earlier, in Illinois. He made no mention of Benghazi or conspiracies in Anaheim.) Obama was decrying what he saw had happened to the Republican Party, how, as he put it, the GOP had become home to "the politics of division, of resentment and paranoia." Obama gave his list of measures a Republican Congress had championed. "Handed out tax cuts without regard to deficits," he said. "Slashed the safety net wherever it could. Cast dozens of votes to take away health insurance from ordinary Americans. Embraced wild conspiracy theories, like those surrounding Benghazi, or my birth certificate." Note, he spoke of conspiracy theories surrounding Benghazi, not that the deaths that took place were themselves a conspiracy theory. After eight congressional investigations and a report by a review board, the broad finding was that the State Department failed to adequately address security concerns in Libya or could have done more to prevent the attack. But if they found bad bureaucratic decisions, none found bad intent. That didn’t give American Viral Patriot any pause. After misquoting Obama it went on to say, "There’s solid reason to believe that Hillary was aware of an impending attack but never pulled her team out of there or made efforts to further secure the embassy and/or compound." The website then, without evidence, claimed that "Obama has consistently hid behind the fact that compromised Republicans never dared impeach him for his criminal use of the IRS, the EPA, the CFPB, the CIA, the FBI, the DOJ, and the Department of State." Bold words, and like, the claim, untethered to facts. Obama did not call Benghazi a conspiracy theory. We rate this claim Pants on Fire. See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com
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