Topic: WorldNetDaily
Aaron Klein's Benghazi book is tanking -- as of this writing it's ranked at No. 6,845 at Amazon, a dismal ranking for a current-events book that's been out for less than a month -- so he and his publisher, WorldNetDaily, have to do something to gin up sales. So it's desperately trying to pick a fight with Media Matters.
Klein has already challenged Media Matters founder David Brock to a debate, complaining that the group has been "lobbing falsehoods and smears in a clear attempt to discredit the messenger.” As we've noted, WND is falsely denying that Klein is a birther in order to salvage what little credibility he has.
Now, WND and Klein is trying to play gotcha in a Sept. 24 WND article:
In a blog post Wednesday titled “Conservative Media Attack Clinton Allies In Desperate Ploy To Smear Her Over Benghazi,” Media Matters claims Klein’s book “attempted to smear another Clinton ally: former CIA deputy director Michael Morell.”
Continued Media Matters: “Klein suggested that Morell was ‘given’ his new job at the consulting firm Beacon Global Strategies (co-founded by Philippe Reines, a Clinton adviser), ‘in exchange for his silence in the talking points scandal.’”
However, those quotes never appear in Klein’s book. Thy were entirely fabricated by Media Matters.
Klein’s book never states Morell was “given” his job, nor does the quote “in exchange for his silence in the talking points scandal” appear anywhere in the book.
The relevant section of the book states: “Morell served 33 years in the agency and was a frontrunner for CIA director; it is doubtful he resigned to become a family man. Morell later reemerged as a counselor to Beacon Global Strategies, a consult group particularly close to Hillary Clinton. The firm is led by Philippe I. Reines, who served from 2009 to 2013 as Clinton’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications and Senior Communications Advisor.”
In fact, the Klein quote is not fabricated. From page 177 of Klein's "The Real Benghazi Story":
Morell later reemerged as a counselor to Beacon Global Strategies, a consult group particularly close to Hillary Clinton. Was Morell given this job in exchange for his silence in the talking points scandal?
It comes from a list of "76 key questions for Benghazi investigators to answer," which WND published on Sept. 14 noting that "Klein included the list of questions in his just-released book."
Either Klein is an extremely dishonest reporter, or he doesn't know what's in his own book.
