Ed Klein: Bill Clinton encouraged Hillary to resign in the wake of the Benghazi scandal

October 24, 2012

Writer

Author Ed Klein joined Glenn on radio this morning to discuss the unfolding story of what really happened in Libya the night Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans were killed. Klein made some pretty shocking allegations about the White House response to the attacks, including that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered more security at the embassy only to have her request denied. He also said that her husband, Bill Clinton, encouraged her to resign rather than to take the full blame for the attacks on the embassy.

Transcript of interview is below:

Now the question is Hillary Clinton knew as well. The question that the press should be asking today is who gave the order to not go in and save these guys? Who made the decision, "Do not launch a plane, do not send a Marine?" Who made the decision "Let them die"? Hillary Clinton stepped up and she said she takes full responsibility. However, Ed Klein was on with Andrew Wilkow last night and he says that the Obama administration knew and Hillary requested extra security, she requested things, she was overridden, and Bill Clinton stepped in, and I'll let him tell you the rest of the story. Ed is here. Ed Klein, welcome to the program, sir.

KLEIN: Again, how are you?

GLENN: I'm very good. I'm a little ‑‑ I'm nervous about this information because I don't know your sources, and you're the only one saying it. And this is quite a charge to make.

KLEIN: Well, I've been saying a lot of things that I've proved to be true including the fact that I put an op‑ed piece out on the Daily Caller not so long ago saying that all the traffic between Libya and the State Department was, in fact, being monitored by the National Security Council which monitors these kinds of traffic so that even before the attack, Glenn, before the attack, they knew in the National Security Council which, of course, is located in the West Wing of the White House ‑‑

GLENN: Yes.

KLEIN: ‑‑ that there was a severe security threat to this consulate, and Hillary, according to my sources ‑‑ and I've got very good sources on this, I give you my word.

GLENN: How many sources do you have?

KLEIN: I have two sources.

GLENN: Okay.

KLEIN: Two separate sources on this. And Hillary claims, and I tend to believe her, that she ordered beefed‑up security in Benghazi because it had been requested and that this order was never carried out and that furthermore when and if she is subpoenaed, along with her internal memoranda and the cable traffic from the State Department by the House committee, it will prove that she did just that.

Now, if it doesn't prove that she did just that, then they're lying to me, and the sources are ‑‑ you know, I'm not suggesting that that's impossible, but I seriously doubt it since I'm talking to legal counsel to Hillary Clinton. Legal counsel. These people don't generally lie.

PAT: Ed, if that happened, why did she then later accept full responsibility for what took place? Why would she do that?

KLEIN: This was a big debate within the Clinton camp itself, between Hillary and Bill. Bill did not want her to take full responsibility. He wanted her to, in fact, consider the possibility of even resigning if the White House continued to try to make her the scapegoat in this. Hillary and her legal team decided she should look presidential, above ‑‑ she should look moderate, she should come forward and say, "Look, I take responsibility. I'm the Secretary of State" and by comparison making the president look a hell of a lot smaller because he was ducking all responsibility and knowing full well that when the full story came out, she would be, in her words, or at least the words of her legal counsel, exonerated.

GLENN: Who ‑‑ do you have any idea, was ‑‑ when they were watching this video, do you know if she was watching the video as well?

KLEIN: No, I don't. I don't know that.

GLENN: Because we do ‑‑

KLEIN: I don't speculate and I don't know that.

GLENN: We do know that the live video was available to the State Department.

KLEIN: Absolutely.

GLENN: It was live video. Somebody was watching.

KLEIN: This should come as no surprise to anybody who realizes what our intelligence capabilities are and that cable traffic between the State Department and its embassies and consulates when it's regarding threats to the lives of our ambassadors and our State Department people, this is outline monitored in the National Security Council in the White House. This is not something new. This has been going on for probably 40, 50 years. And so to even begin to think that Tom Donilon, the National Security Council adviser, the national security adviser didn't know and didn't brief the president daily on the threat that was building in Benghazi and then after the ‑‑ during the actual battle didn't actually brief the president? I mean, if not Tom Donilon should be fired along with the president.

GLENN: What do you expect to happen in this case? Because still, the press is treating this like an "also ran" story.

KLEIN: You're right.

GLENN: Ed, do you know of a story? This ‑‑ I believe this is far bigger than Watergate

KLEIN: I think so, too.

GLENN: This is huge.

KLEIN: Because you've got dead people here.

GLENN: Yeah.

KLEIN: Dead Americans.

GLENN: Yeah. And not only dead Americans. Nobody is asking the question, why was the ‑‑ why was Ambassador Stevens in this safe house, which was a CIA safe house, protected by Libyan guards? I mean, that's crazy on September 11th.

KLEIN: Of course it is. Of course it is.

GLENN: And meeting with the general counsel of Turkey, which we are now finding out, we're running guns through Turkey to Syria. This was a gun‑running scandal. This ‑‑ there is so much here.

KLEIN: I know.

GLENN: It is ‑‑

KLEIN: And we've got only, what, 13 days until the election?

GLENN: It's terrifying. If this president can get away with this, this is truly terrifying.

KLEIN: Well, there's going to be, if not ‑‑ I think, what is it, 11:00 this morning or is it ‑‑ I'm not quite sure of the time, a White House briefing by Jay Carney. I would hope that the mainstream media will drop its pro Obama leanings and really ask these questions that you're asking. I mean, these are serious, serious questions and we need answers to these questions. I think the American people know this. I mean, we're not a stupid people. We under ‑‑ I mean, I'm talking to Glenn Beck who understands this better than anybody. People understand that this is a coverup. It's clear as a bell it's a coverup. And this has got to affect the president's chances for reelection. If it doesn't, I don't know what will.

GLENN: Nothing will.

KLEIN: That's right.

GLENN: Honestly nothing will. Ed, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

KLEIN: Oh, Glenn, it's always great to be with you. Thanks so much.

GLENN: Keep it up. Bye‑bye.

I don't know. You know, his sources are his sources. They're not our sources. And I can only claim our sources. He has been close to the Clintons. I mean, he's just said it was legal counsel. I don't know. But I ‑‑ that's the one thing that has confused me on this is the Hillary Clinton part. Because Hillary Clinton is ‑‑ they're political survivors. This is not something you survive. This is a scandal that quite honestly, if it goes where I think it goes, I ‑‑ this goes to drug‑running to our enemies. This involves the Muslim Brotherhood and Al‑Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood knowingly hitting our guns and our stinger missiles. That's ‑‑ we are aiding and abetting the enemies of the United States of America and our closest allies. This is ‑‑ this goes to treason. This is so far beyond, you know, the Iran contra scandal or Watergate. This is way beyond that. Because this one aids and abets our enemies.

Trump's education secretary has BIG plans for the DoE

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Our education system is broken, and the Department of Education is a massive failure. But that all ends now.

It's no secret that America's school system is seriously lacking in many ways. President Trump pointed out that despite our massive spending per pupil, we are behind most of the developed world in most metrics. Our scores continue to plummet while our student debt and spending skyrocket—it's utterly unacceptable performance and America's students deserve better.

That's where Linda McMahon, Trump's pick for Secretary of Education comes in.

The former WWE CEO and leader of the U.S. Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, McMahon laid out her harsh criticisms of the DoE during a confirmation hearing on the 13th and revealed her promising plans to turn things around. McMahon described the public education system as "in decline" and promised that under her authority, the DoE would be reoriented towards student success.

Here are the top three changes to the Department of Education:

1. Dismantling the Department of Education

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From the beginning Trump's orders for McMahon were clear: oversee the end of the Department of Education.

During her Thursday hearing, McMahon clarified what dismantling the DoE would entail. As Democrats have repeatedly pointed out, Trump does not have the authority to destroy the DoE without Congressional consent, as an act of Congress created it. That is why Trump and McMahon's plan is to start by shutting down programs that can be stopped by executive action, then approach Congress with a plan to dismantle the Department for good. The executive orders have already begun to take effect, and once McMahon is confirmed she will author a plan for Congress to close the Department.

McMahon also promised that the end of the Department of Education does not mean an end to all the programs currently undertaken by the doomed department. Programs that are deemed beneficial will be transferred (along with their funding) to departments that are more suited to the task. The example given by McMahon was IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funding, which instead of being cut would be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services.

2. School Choice

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In a huge win for parents across the country, McMahon pledged her support for School Choice. School Choice is the idea of allowing parents to enroll their student in any school of their choice, including religious schools and private schools. It would also mean that part or all of the funding that would have gone to a relocated child would follow them and continue to pay for their education.

This gives parents the ability to remove their children from failing schools and seek a better education for them elsewhere. A growing body of evidence suggests that the way we run our schools isn't working, and it is time to try something new. School Choice opens up education to the free market and will allow for competition.

Our children deserve better than what we can currently offer them.

3. COVID and DEI

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Trump's government-wide crackdown on DEI will ironically serve to increase inclusion in many American schools.

McMahon said as much during her Senate hearing: “It was put in place ostensibly for more diversity, for equity and inclusion. And I think what we’re seeing is, it is having an opposite effect. We are getting back to more segregating of our schools instead of having more inclusion in our schools.” She also spoke in support of Title IX, and the push to remove biological males from women's and girl's sports. In the same vein, McMahon pledged to push back against the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, which many Universities have failed to adequately address.

On Friday, February 14th, President Trump signed an executive order barring any school or university with COVID-19 vaccine mandates from receiving federal money. This only applies to the COVID-19 vaccine, and other vaccine mandates are still standing.

POLL: What DARK government secrets will Trump uncover?

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Will the dark secrets of the Deep State finally see the light of day? Or will they slip back into darkness, as they have many times before?

The Trump administration is gearing up to fulfill one of Trump's most anticipated campaign promises: to make the contents of the JFK files, along with other Deep State secrets, available to the public. Kash Patel, who has promised to publicize the highly anticipated files, is expected to be confirmed next week as Trump's director of the FBI. Moreover, the House Oversight Committee created a new task force headed by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna called "Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets," which is tasked with investigating and declassifying information on the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations, UFOs, the Epstein list, COVID's origins, and 9/11. This all comes after the FBI found 2,400 "new" records relating to the assassination of President Kennedy following Trump's executive order to release the files.

Glenn discussed this topic with the cast of the Patrick Bet David podcast. Glenn expressed his confidence in Trump's radical transparency—on the condition that Kash Patel is confirmed. The cast was not as optimistic, expressing some doubt about whether Trump will actually unveil all that he has promised. But what do you think? What files are likely to see the light of day? And what files will continue to linger in the dark? Let us know in the poll below

Do you think the JFK, RFK, and MLK files will be unveiled?

Do you think the 9/11 files will be unveiled?

Do you think the COVID files will be unveiled?

Do you think the UFO files will be unveiled?

Do you think the Epstein list will be unveiled?

Transgender opera in Colombia? 10 SHOCKING ways USAID spent your tax dollars.

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The government has been doing what with our tax money!?

Under the determined eye of Elon Musk, DOGE has rooted out the corruption that permeates USAID, and it turns out that it's worse than we thought. Glenn recently read a list of atrocious causes that were funded by USAID, and the list was as long as it was shocking.

Since the January consumer index report was published today, one thing is clear: eggs are bearing the brunt of inflation. That's why we illustrated the extent of USAID's wasteful spending of YOUR taxpayer dollars by comparing it to the price of eggs. How many eggs could the American people have bought with their tax dollars that were given to a "transgender opera" in Colombia or indoctrinating Sri Lankans with woke gender ideology? The truth will shock you:

1. A “transgender opera” in Colombia

USAID spent $47,000 on a transgender opera in Colombia. That's over 135,000 eggs.

2. Sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala

$2 million was spent funding sex changes along with whatever "LGBT activism" means. That equates to over 5.7 million eggs!

3. Teaching Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid binary-gendered language

USAID forked over $7.9 million to combat the "gender binary" in Sri Lankan journalism. That could have bought nearly 23 million eggs.

4. Tourism in Egypt

$6 million (or just over 17 million eggs) was spent to fund tourism in Egypt. If only someone had thought to build some impressive landmarks...

5. A new "Sesame Street" show in Iraq

USAID spent $20 million to create a new Sesame Street show in Iraq. That's just short of 58 million eggs...

6. Helping the BBC value the diversity of Libyan society

$2.1 million was sent to the BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation) to help them value the diversity of Libyan society (whatever that means). That could have bought over 6 million eggs.

7. Meals for a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda

$10 million worth of USAID-funded meals went to an Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group. That comes up to be just shy of 29 million eggs.

8. Promoting inclusion in Vietnam

A combined $19.3 million was sent to two separate inclusion groups in Vietnam inclusion groups in Vietnam (why where they separated? Not very inclusive of them). That's over 55 million eggs.

9. Promoting DEI in Serbia's workplaces

USAID sent $1.5 million (4.3 million eggs) to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

10. Funding EcoHealth Alliance, tied to the Wuhan Institute of Virology's "bat research"

EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs that funded the Wuhan lab's bat virus research, received $5 million from USAID, which is equivalent to 14.5 million eggs.

The bottom line...

So, how much damage was done?

In total, approximately $73.8 million was wasted on the items on this list. That comes out to be 213 million eggs. Keep in mind that these are just the items on this list, there are many, many more that DOGE has uncovered and will uncover in the coming days. Case in point: that's a lot of eggs.

POLL: Should Trump stop producing pennies?

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On Sunday, February 9th, President Trump ordered the U.S. Mint to halt the production of pennies. It costs the mint three cents to produce every penny, which Trump deemed wasteful. However, critics argue that axing the pennies will be compensated by ramping up nickel production, which costs 13 cents per coin.

In other news, President Trump promised on Truth Social that he would be reversing a Biden-era policy that mandated the use of paper straws throughout the federal government. From potentially slashing entire agencies to saying farewell to pennies and paper straws, Trump is hounding after wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

But what do you think? Was Trump right to put an end to pennies? And should plastic straws make a comeback? Let us know in the poll below:

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