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Published January 24, 2017
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," October 20, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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O'REILLY: And in the "Impact Segment" tonight, Hillary Clinton, getting set to testify in front of the Benghazi committee in the House of Representatives. That will take place on Thursday.
And yesterday some members of that committee all Democrats said this: nothing to investigate.
Joining us now from Washington, Fox News analyst, Kirsten Powers. So, is there nothing to investigate?
KIRSTEN POWRS, FOX NEWS ANALYST: Well, look, I have always been, I guess, one of the few Democrats who think that this was an issue that required investigation in the first place. And that it is something that did deserve investigation and has been investigated quite a bit, actually. I think that the problem is that now has been tarnished by the fact that you have, you know, had Kevin McCarthy saying that this was -- the Benghazi hearings were essentially political. Look at how they were, you know, were effecting Hillary Clinton's poll numbers and that sort of fed into the narrative that the Democrats were pushing which is this is just a hit job on Hillary Clinton. So I don't think it has any credibility is the problem.
O'REILLY: Ok. So you don't think the committee hearing on Thursday has any credibility?
POWERS: Not really.
O'REILLY: No?
POWERS: I think that it's been severely undermined. I think to the average person who isn't following this closely or perhaps to the average Democrat who believes Hillary Clinton --
O'REILLY: Well, certainly the Democrats, they don't want to know anything about it and they don't care about it. Bernie Sanders, they don't care. But he was the e-mail thing. He wasn't Benghazi but it's tied.
But I'm going to give you a compliment now, Powers? All right. So take a deep breath. You ready for the compliment?
POWERS: Oh my gosh, ok.
O'REILLY: So you are a pretty well-informed woman. If you weren't, you wouldn't be here on The Factor. You're pretty well-informed.
POWERS: I'm going to play this -- I'm going to play this back to you in the future.
O'REILLY: You know me, no spin zone. You are pretty well-informed.
POWERS: Yes.
O'REILLY: Do you know why Hillary Clinton did not respond to a direct cable from Ambassador Stevens asking for more security? He didn't get it. He cabled directly to Hillary Clinton. She was his boss. Do you know why Mrs. Clinton did not respond to that?
POWERS: Well, I think what she said is that she didn't see it. Right. I mean that's --
O'REILLY: Ok. Then, if she didn't see it, what does that say about her as the head of the State Department?
POWERS: Well, if you want to give her the benefit of the doubt --
O'REILLY: No I don't. I don't want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Why would I want to do that? She is the secretary of state, I'm asking you --
POWERS: No, no, no. That's not what I'm saying though. What I'm saying is that if you want to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that there are things that come in that she doesn't necessarily see.
O'REILLY: Requested security from an American ambassador -- that's pretty big.
POWERS: Let me finish. Let me finish what I'm saying. Even if she didn't see it, there were other requests that were made.
O'REILLY: A lot of requests.
POWERS: Right. So there were many requests that were made to senior people and so there is really no excuse for it. I do think that, you know, that it should have been known.
O'REILLY: Good, good, good. Ok, so you and I are kind of going down the yellow brick road together. I'm the tin man and you are Dorothy.
Now, that's all that the committee on Thursday has to establish. They have to ask her point blank did you know about this cable from Ambassador Stevens? No, I didn't. Ok. What does it say about your leadership capacity that you didn't know an urgent request from a sitting ambassador in a dangerous region that you're deeply involved with and you don't know about it? What does that say about your leadership? That's it? That's all. You don't have to get into this and that and the other thing. That's the crux of the matter.
POWERS: They are not going to do that.
O'REILLY: Yes, they will.
POWERS: Here is the other problem with them. They are the game that cannot shoot straight if you have not noticed.
O'REILLY: Well, if they are watching this program and I believe they are that's exactly what they are going to do. Because you're right --
POWERS: I would be very surprised if they are not outmaneuvered by her because I think that she is going to probably somehow be able to turn this to her advantage. Because I think she is more on top of things than they are frankly.
O'REILLY: She is a very smart woman and anybody who denies that is not smart. But I will tell you this --
POWERS: I mean look what Trey Gowdy just did, Bill. I mean where he accused her of --
O'REILLY: I'm not going to get into any of that. All I'm saying to you is this.
POWERS: Ok. Well, I think it matters.
O'REILLY: If I'm a simple man and you know I am, Powers. And I can frame questions like that they can, too. If they choose not to, then I will walk away from this Benghazi investigation. But I don't think they will. I think they're going to get right to the heart of the matter. It speaks to leadership.
And if you didn't know about this, did you fire anybody? Did you fire anybody for not telling you? Who? When? That's how you do it. Simple is best.
Kirsten Powers, everybody -- very well informed as always.
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