Thread by @kurteichenwald

1. @SecPompeo today launched what is clearly the next "GOP Will Lie About Anything" whataboutism talking point. Let's kill that one today.

On @ThisWeekABC with @GStephanopoulos, when asked about Giuliani, Pompeo recrafted a old-time deception, "What about Sid Blumenthal?"....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 2...George did a great job of pushing aside the "whatabout" but since I expect Pompeo or others will start this - looking at you, Fox News - let me explain what he's talking about.

Blumenthal is a longtime friend of Hillary/Bill and a former White House aide for B. Clinton.....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 3...Blumenthal is also a prodigious emailer. He emails lots of folks, and then gives his thoughts to others. While HRC was Secretary of State, Blumenthal provided her a number of times with his thoughts (by email). Michael Ledeen did the same thing during Bush 2 by memo...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 4...Kissinger did the same thing to Bush 1 Admin, Robert Murphy did the same thing to Kissinger during Nixon. It's just people sending their thoughts. No big deal.

UNTIL the scandal without a scandal, Benghazi. The GOP looked at HRC's emails, saw she got a number from...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 5...Blumenthal. So what? None mentioned Benghazi. The closest he had come to even mentioning the area was by forwarding a public report on Libya written by Tyler Drumheller, a long-retired CIA officer who had been head of the European division for clandestine operations....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 6...and that was it. Some emails, containing one man's thoughts, once turning over a report with the "this is interesting" thought.

Even though this was a big nothing, the Benghazi committee conducted 9 hours of questioning of Blumenthal (in secret). Most of it dealt with....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 7...GOP members trying to find out the sources of articles that were critical of them. Blumenthal, his lawyer and Democratic members on the committee urged the Republicans to release the transcript - all of them wanting to humiliate the GOP by showing what they were really....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 8...asking about. But they refused, and never did. In fact, when Gowdy started spewing some conspiracy theory during the HRC testimony, he lied about something and a democratic member said that's the Blumenthal testimony you're misrepresenting! Release it! Nope.

Which brings...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 9...us to Pompeo. After this secret testimony, Pompeo - a member of the committee - ran on to TV and proclaimed that HRC "relied on Mr. Blumenthal for most of her intelligence" on Libya. Utter, total crap, and he was shot down consistently. Except when he spewed it on Fox...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 10...so now, Pompeo is trying to take his original lie and shoehorn it into a "whataboutism" to minimize what Giuliani did. In other words, here is what Pompeo is attempting to deceive about: He is equating someone sending unsolicited emails with thoughts to another guy who is...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 11...acting as the President's lawyer, running around a foreign country, demanding meetings with foreign officials, passing messages from the president, being the "go-to" guy who others in state responsible for the are were instructed by the President to consult, who told those..

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 12...State Department officials to meet with the president of Ukraine and other officials and tell them that they could meet with the President if they issued a corruption statement (and he mentioned only the DNC and Burisma, where Hunter Biden was a director) and on and on...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 13...in other words, Pompeo - good "christian" and West Point grad - is gleefully bearing false witness against Blumenthal, repeating old chestnut lies, in order to create a whataboutism for Giuliani....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 14...it is the ultimate trifecta of GOP deception techniques: 1. Drag in an unrelated name, 2. Lie, 3. Whataboutism.

So yes, don't let Pompeo do this. BUT if the Blumenthal talking point gains traction (looking at you Fox), here are the questions reporters should ask...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 15...

A. Are you saying all Giuliani did was send emails to you? Or the president? This is news. Release the emails.
B. Are you saying that Giuliani did *not* represent the president, but was simply sending unsolicited emails? So there is no attorney client privilege, yes?

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 16...

C. Since you are referencing Blumenthal - why did you and Gowdy refuse to release his testimony taken in secret? Even when asked repeatedly? Do it now. If not, why should Schiff's committee ever release testimony before them?....

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 17...

D. You made it very clear in your Blumenthal statements in 2015 that you considered someone outside of the State Deparment being responsible for running foreign policy for a single country to be wrong. Now, you were called out for lying that that even happened. But ...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 18...is that still your standard? If so, why have you not condemned Giuliani for doing exactly what you falsely accused Blumenthal of doing?

Turn whataboutism on its head. This is a great one because it is based on a years-old lie. And by using it, they are opening up a...

@SecPompeo @ThisWeekABC @GStephanopoulos 19...giant pit of hurt for themselves. They just need a little shove to fall into it./fin