On his Wednesday radio show, conservative talker Rush Limbaugh warned his listeners not to have high expectations for embattled former CIA Director David Petreaus’ testimony on the Sept. 11, 2012 terror attack in Benghazi. The attack resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, but, according to Limbaugh, if Petreaus says anything differently than what he had said right after the attack, he could be branded a liar.
“If Petraeus goes in there and says anything different than what he said on Sept. 13, do you know the world of hurt that he’s in?” Limbaugh said. “What did he say on Sept. 13 — or whenever the testimony was — he said it was the video. He said it was an out-of-control mob, spontaneous-combustion protest, because of the video. OK, now let’s say that he goes into tomorrow and he, if he doesn’t say exactly what he said to Congress back in September, then he’s going to get the question: ‘Were you lying then, or are you lying now?’”
Limbaugh proposed a scenario in which Petraeus did go into the hearing with a new set of details.
“Let’s play the game — let’s say he goes in there and changes his testimony,” Limbaugh proposed. “’I was here in September and I was mistaken. It was not the video that made the protests. It was not the video that was at the root of the death of the Americans.’ Bang the gavel, crowd goes nuts. ‘General, general, you said that it was the video.’ ‘Well, yes but I’ve done my own investigation, senator, and found that I was wrong back when we — we all were wrong. It clearly wasn’t the video.’”
According to Limbaugh, that would open the former CIA director to attacks on his personal life, including his affair with biographer Paula Broadwell. For that reason, Limbaugh downplayed the prospects and said even if he went forward with new details, Democrats and the media would “destroy him.”
“Do you think Petraeus is going to go through that?” Limbaugh asked. “I know some of you — ‘But Rush, he’s a man of honor. He will stand up for what’s right in there.’ Well, even if he does, I’m going to tell you — they’re going to destroy him and it’ll leak. You have to understand what’s going on here folks. There is a circle-the-wagon operation around Barack Obama that nobody is going to penetrate. That is abundantly clear. The Democrats, the media — they’re not going to allow this thing to become Watergate. They’re not going to allow this circle of protection to be penetrated in any way, shape, manner or form.”
