Boehner's Probable Replacement Admits That Benghazi! Select Committee Is Purely Political (Updated)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said this last night in an interview with Fox News:

" *** Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?

“But we put together a Benghazi special committee. A select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known that any of that had happened had we not fought to make that happen.”

Steve Benen notes: "McCarthy sees the committee as a legitimate accomplishment of the Republican Congress, not because it’s uncovered relevant details about an act of terrorism, but because Hillary Clinton’s 'numbers are dropping.'”

These Benghaaazi! "investigations" have been farcical for so long that even the likely incoming Speaker of the House forgot to give lip service to the fake reason for them --i.e., the need to investigate a terrorist attack -- and just came right out with the real reason for the investigations, namely, the need to attack Hillary Clinton politically. 

Somebody in the GOP needs to take McCarthy aside and tell him that while it is okay to talk like this amongst themselves, he should not say this stuff on national television.

Of course, we've seen this kind of gaffe before.

UPDATE:  Congressman Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the Benghaaazi! Committee, had this to say about Kevin McCarthy's astonishing gaffe:

“This stunning concession from Rep. McCarthy reveals the truth that Republicans never dared admit in public:  the core Republican goal in establishing the Benghazi Committee was always to damage Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and never to conduct an even-handed search for the facts.  It is shameful that Republicans have used this tragedy and the deaths of our fellow Americans for political gain.  Republicans have blatantly abused their authority in Congress by spending more than $4.5 million in taxpayer funds to pay for a political campaign against Hillary Clinton.”

That about sums it up. Looks like Congressman McCarthy has a lot of explaining to do, particularly given that Hillary's campaign will -- no doubt -- repeatedly ram this gaffe up the GOP's collective backside over the next few months. 

Hillary said a few weeks ago that she is looking forward to testifying next month in front of the Benghaaazi! Committee.  I didn't believe her when she initially made that comment, but now I think she is probably looking forward to it, given that Kevin McCarthy's gaffe will no doubt shape the first few lines of Hillary's opening statement.  It will probably go something like this:

"Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of this Select Committee on Benghaaazi!, thank you for giving me this opportunity to appear before you today.  And special thanks to House Majority Leader -- and incoming House Speaker -- Kevin McCarthy for admitting recently that this investigation has nothing to do with uncovering the facts about a terror attack which killed four of my friends, but instead has everything to do with the GOP effort to attack me politically.  That kind of candor from a high-ranking Republican is extremely rare these days, and I applaud Congressman McCarthy's political courage in coming clean on this . . . . "

Bottom line -- when you are trying to discredit a political enemy, never ever give her a weapon like this to use against you. McCarthy made a very amateurish mistake.