Hillary Clinton never mentioned in new Michael Bay Benghazi film ’13 Hours’
While the last thing Democratic front-running presidential candidate Hillary Clinton needs is more bad publicity regarding her numerous past scandals, but the new Hollywood film centering on the Benghazi attack, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, sounds like it would deliver just that. The former Secretary of State appears to have little to worry about from the Michael Bay film as Clinton is not only absent from the film, but is never even mentioned.
“Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state when the attack took place — and who has been harshly criticized by Republicans who have tried to tie the attack to what they contend was her mismanagement — is never mentioned. President Obama is only a fleeting voice in 13 Hours. (Mr. Bay’s mother, whom he said is a close observer of national politics, urged him not to do the film at all.)” notes the NY Times.
Benghazi is hardly a closed issue as the violence in Libya continues with the embassy closing
Benghazi safehouse on fire following the September 11 attack photo supplied by State Dept
In the movie, an American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a United States compound in Libya. The killing takes place as a security team attempts to comprehend the turmoil taking place.
Bay says that the movie wants to focus on the event as opposed to the politics behind the tragedy, so expect the critics to be kind.
In one scene, the contractors are ordered to “stand down” rather than provide assistance to the beleaguered consulate. Congressional investigators concluded that no “stand down” order was ever issued, but the contractors say otherwise.
Fox News host Sean Hannity asked if the stand down order “came from above,” an apparent reference to the Obama administration.
One of the contractors, John “Tig” Tiegen, said it did not.
“I mean, the stand down order, it came from the chief of base,” Tiegen said during the interview.
The conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt said Sunday that the movie is “simply and completely an indictment.” Bay’s directing, Hewitt wrote, “will leave those who will open their eyes and ears to see and hear seething about Hillary’s massive fail that night in 2012.”
In his review of 13 Hours for the National Review, Stephen Miller wrote that “Bay’s straightforward portrayal of the attack will be as close as pop culture comes to analyzing the failures of the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton that night.”
“There are passing mentions of protests and videos which are quickly dismissed as background noise. The film claims that the U.S. State Department blames Ansar al-Sharia after the initial attack at 12:06 a.m., an explanation in stark contrast to the Internet-video lie that would be uttered by Secretary Clinton in front of the four flag-draped caskets three days later,” he writes.
Frank Luntz, a Republican messaging maven and Fox News regular, believes that the public has a “responsibility” to see the movie.
“The key in all of this: the more people who see this, the more people know the truth about what really happened,” Luntz said Sunday on Fox.
“This is not something that you want to politicize, although obviously something happened there that wasn’t right and [Clinton] is responsible.”
Hillary Clinton testified on Benghazi, but ultimately asked “What difference does it make now?” but now the truth comes out on Benghazi
