The Benghazi Panel Paid $150,000 To Settle A Lawsuit By An Aide Allegedly Fired For Not Investigating Hillary Clinton

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Over a year after Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, the former state secretary’s Benghazi and private email server scandals remain two of conservatives’ most frequent talking points. Thanks to ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s decision to cooperate with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, the latter popped back up during Friday’s news cycle. Yet the many Benghazi probes and public testimonies spearheaded by Rep. Trey Gowdy and the House Benghazi panel weren’t too far behind it, thanks largely to a Washington Post report detailing their use of taxpayer money.

According to the Post‘s story, Gowdy and the panel used $150,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a wrongful firing lawsuit brought on by Bradley Podliska, a former aide who claims he was let go for not focusing his investigation on Clinton:

In a list provided to the House Committee on Administration, the [Office of Compliance] disclosed it oversaw one $150,000 settlement involving a claim of veteran status discrimination and retaliation in the last five years. Podliska, in addition to claiming he was fired for his refusal to focus on Clinton, alleged retaliation by his supervisors because he took leave to fulfill his obligations as an Air Force reservist. His December 2016 settlement was reported by The Washington Post, though the settlement amount was not disclosed at the time.

Podliska’s lawyer, Peter Romer-Friedman, told the Post his client “is one person who brought a veterans status discrimination and retaliation suit against Congress and that the case settled on terms that were satisfactory to my client.” However, he did not go into any further details about the case or the settlement amount disclosed on Friday. Nor did Gowdy’s spokesperson, who told the paper, “The Benghazi Committee no longer exists. I would refer you to House Employment Counsel.”

(Via Washington Post)

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