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Hume: Clinton ‘dominated’ Benghazi hearings

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    Reasons lawmakers’ questioning fell short

  • Duration 1:59
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Ed thank you let's get some thoughts now from senior political analyst Brit Hume on the process.

Of the hearings themselves good evening Brit -- Brett.

Today is meandering and unfocused hearings on the events and been Ghazi on the fictitious stories told about it afterwards.

Were unfortunately utterly typical of congressional hearings there are many reasons.

One is it witnesses by virtue of their jobs almost always know more about the subject and their congressional interrogators.

And most members though they may be lawyers are not experience cross examiners the questioning ping pong back and forth between the two parties.

Meaning that no one can get very far with a line of questioning before it's time to change to a member of the other party.

Who can be expected to rush to the witnesses defense.

And it was most helpful to secretary Clinton's -- us today to appear before both houses that -- both hearings and the resulting five minute turns each member had.

-- developing a line of inquiry all the more difficult.

Add to that the congressional pension for speech making.

Consider even Senator McCain who'd been pointing -- this day for months.

He laid out as you've heard part of a harsh indictment of the whole affair said secretary Clinton's explanations have been unacceptable but never settled on a single question.

In the house congresswoman nearly an hour Ileana Ross -- and listed a series of good questions but never settled on one allowing the witness to pick which one to answer.

He's Smart and tough witness can dominate such hearings Secretary Clinton did today.

We've always talked about short questions being the best that was not the case today.

-- what what about today pat out of this looking at two hearings five hours what do you think overall comes out of this.

Well there are a lot of unanswered questions still.

Others there are things that she basically refused to answer.

But how far anybody will get pursuing that after today this was to be in the eyes of so many people the big moment.

And these congressional interrogators did what they so often do they blew it Brooke thank you.

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