title: Ex-Benghazi Panel Investigator: Focus Shifted From Tragedy to Hillary
authors: Greg Richter
content: A former investigator for the Select Committee on Benghazi says the probe he alleges now is partisan did n't start out that way.House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a `` slip of the tongue '' when he told Fox News that the committee 's work is hurting Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential polls . `` His reasoning was wrong , '' Air Force Reserve Maj. Bradley Podliska , an intelligence officer , told CNN 's `` State of the Union '' in an interview aired Sunday . `` I honestly do not believe this investigation was set up to go after Hillary . I believe it shifted that way . `` Podliska says he was fired partially for not focusing his investigation heavily enough on Clinton , who was secretary of state during the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans , including Ambassador Chris Stevens.But on Sunday , the chairman of the House panel says he fired the staffer for mishandling classified information , among other causes .
  Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina released a statement on Sunday after CNN and The New York Times released their stories saying Podliska was improperly focused on Clinton , and that his panel is seeking a `` definitive accounting '' of the attacks .
  Podliska says he is a conservative Republican who once interned for the conservative Media Research Center , and his allegations are not partisan .
  `` I would just like to state that I am going to vote for the Republican nominee in 2016 . I do not support Hillary Clinton for president , '' he said .
  `` I 'm trying to be objective . … Hillary Clinton has a lot of explaining to do , he said . `` We , however , did not need to shift resources to hyperfocus on Hillary Clinton . We did n't need to de-emphasize , and in some cases drop , the investigation on different agencies , different organizations and different individuals . ''
  The Benghazi committee , in a statement , said it `` vigorously denies all of his allegations . … The employee was terminated , in part , because he himself manifested improper partiality and animus in his investigative work . ''
  Podliska , the statement said , `` … has continued to imagine a variety of new , outlandish , never previously mentioned allegations since his departure – including that his supervisors … somehow manifested an anti-military animus toward him . ''
  Podliska told CNN the victims ' families are not going to get the truth .
  `` I know this because the nine months of research I had done is not lost , '' he said . `` I have no idea where it is , and I know that I could give those victims ' families … a pretty thorough explanation ff why they were told that this attack was due to a video . ''
content_original: A former investigator for the Select Committee on Benghazi says the probe he alleges now is partisan didn't start out that way.House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a "slip of the tongue" when he told Fox News that the committee's work is hurting Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential polls."His reasoning was wrong," Air Force Reserve Maj. Bradley Podliska, an intelligence officer, told CNN's "State of the Union" in an interview aired Sunday. "I honestly do not believe this investigation was set up to go after Hillary. I believe it shifted that way."Podliska says he was fired partially for not focusing his investigation heavily enough on Clinton, who was secretary of state during the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.But on Sunday, the chairman of the House panel says he fired the staffer for mishandling classified information, among other causes.
  
  Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina released a statement on Sunday after CNN and The New York Times released their stories saying Podliska was improperly focused on Clinton, and that his panel is seeking a "definitive accounting" of the attacks.
  
  
  
  Podliska says he is a conservative Republican who once interned for the conservative Media Research Center, and his allegations are not partisan.
  
  
  
  "I would just like to state that I am going to vote for the Republican nominee in 2016. I do not support Hillary Clinton for president," he said.
  
  
  
  He also believes Clinton has much to answer for.
  
  
  
  "I'm trying to be objective. … Hillary Clinton has a lot of explaining to do, he said. "We, however, did not need to shift resources to hyperfocus on Hillary Clinton. We didn't need to de-emphasize, and in some cases drop, the investigation on different agencies, different organizations and different individuals."
  
  
  
  The Benghazi committee, in a statement, said it "vigorously denies all of his allegations. … The employee was terminated, in part, because he himself manifested improper partiality and animus in his investigative work."
  
  
  
  Podliska, the statement said, "… has continued to imagine a variety of new, outlandish, never previously mentioned allegations since his departure – including that his supervisors … somehow manifested an anti-military animus toward him."
  
  
  
  Podliska told CNN the victims' families are not going to get the truth.
  
  
  
  "I know this because the nine months of research I had done is not lost," he said. "I have no idea where it is, and I know that I could give those victims' families … a pretty thorough explanation ff why they were told that this attack was due to a video."
  
  
  
  