FBI chief welcomes Benghazi request
WASHINGTON – FBI Director James Comey told senators Thursday he is not opposed to Congress speaking with the survivors of the 2012 attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. That contradicts the Obama administration’s position that such discussions would jeopardize the FBI’s criminal case.
Comey’s position on the politically charged issue seemed to surprise some of the senators who have unsuccessfully asked the administration for access to the survivors. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has said he will block President Barack Obama’s nominees for Federal Reserve chairman and Homeland Security secretary if the administration does not give Congress access to the Benghazi survivors.
Comey, a former federal prosecutor who has headed the FBI for just two months, weighed in on what’s become a rallying cry for conservatives.
“As the FBI director, I don’t have an objection to it,” Comey said. “I don’t know whether the prosecutors would feel differently or if there’s some other reason I’m not thinking of. But speaking from my perspective, yeah, I don’t have an objection to that.”
Newspaper apologizes for speech review
HARRISBURG, Pa. – It took 150 years, but a Pennsylvania newspaper said Thursday it should have recognized the greatness of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address at the time it was delivered.
The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, about 35 miles northeast of Gettysburg, retracted a dismissive editorial penned by its Civil War-era predecessor, The Harrisburg Patriot & Union.
The president’s speech is now considered a triumph of American oratory.
The retraction, which echoes Lincoln’s now-familiar language, said the newspaper’s November 1863 coverage was wrong when it described the speech as “silly remarks” that deserved a “veil of oblivion.”
The paper now says it regrets the error of not seeing its “momentous importance, timeless eloquence and lasting significance.”
“By today’s words alone, we cannot exalt, we cannot hallow, we cannot venerate this sacred text, for a grateful nation long ago came to view those words with reverence, without guidance from this chagrined member of the mainstream media,” the paper wrote, echoing the words of the address.
During the Civil War, the Patriot & Union was a Democratic newspaper that was staunchly opposed to Lincoln.
Yellin offers backing of economic program
WASHINGTON – Janet Yellen made clear Thursday that she’s prepared to stand by the Federal Reserve’s extraordinary efforts to pump up the economy when she’s chairman, if that’s what it needs.
During a two-hour confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Yellen embraced her so-called “dovish” reputation and expressed strong support for the Fed’s low interest-rate policies. And she warned critics that any potential harm those policies pose are outweighed by the risk of leaving a still-weak economy to survive without them.
“I believe that supporting the recovery today is the surest path to returning to a more normal approach to monetary policy,” she said.
Yellen faced tough questions, particularly from Republicans. But she also drew praise from senators in both parties and is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate, becoming the first woman to lead the powerful central bank.
A committee aide said that Banking Chairman Tim Johnson, D-S.D., plans a vote as soon as possible, potentially next week.
Her testimony represented a strong defense of the Fed’s policies pursued under Chairman Ben Bernanke, which were launched to combat the Great Recession and the financial crisis.
Associated Press
