1 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: Pushkin. What I told people I was making a podcast 2 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 1: about Benghazi. Nine times out of ten they called me 3 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked why. I 4 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: was never surprised. I know that Benghazi has a bad reputation. 5 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: Benghazi the truth became a web of lies. It's almost 6 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: a dirty word, one that connotes conspiracy theory. Will we 7 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre? Bad faith? 8 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: Political warfare? The regime keeps lying about it. 9 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: They're not going to let this go, are they? 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: And frankly bullshit? We kill the ambassador just to cover 11 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: something up. You put two and two together. I'm Leon Napok, 12 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: co creator of Slowburn. You've heard me dig into political 13 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: firestorm like Iran Contra and Bush v. Gore. Now it's 14 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: time for a slightly more recent scandal, one that began 15 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: with the killing of a US ambassador and three other 16 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: Americans in Libya. Benghazi has been contested ever since. Was 17 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy? The forces 18 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: that led up to the scandal and the marks that 19 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: left on America and Libya are still coming into focus. 20 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: Benghazi is a Rosetta stone for everything that's been going 21 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: on for the last twenty years. Over six episodes, you'll 22 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: hear what life was like in Benghazi before the attack, 23 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: under the regime of Muamar Gadafi and during the revolution 24 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: that brought him down. 25 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 2: We could see the smoke of Gerdefi's convoy. It was 26 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 2: obvious that death is coming. 27 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: You'll meet the late Chris Stevens, a US ambassador, set 28 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,279 Speaker 1: out to redefine America's relationship with the Arab world. 29 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 2: He was smart, he was fearless, and certainly one of 30 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: the best diplomats we've ever had. 31 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: And you'll hear from people who are in Benghazi. On 32 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: the night of the attack, we saw it happen from 33 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: close range. I could hear clearly green eights and number 34 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: of shots. 35 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 2: I turned to the ambassador and said, if they blow 36 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 2: the locks, I'm going to start shooting, and when I die, 37 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 2: I want you to pick up my rifle and keep 38 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: on fighting. 39 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: It didn't take long for the attack to become simply Benghazi. 40 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: The word entered American politics before the fighting was even over, 41 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: and almost fifteen years later, it hasn't really left. 42 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 2: They said, the government is lying to you. What they're 43 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 2: saying happened did not happen. It was a fucking mess. 44 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: It's really hard to figure out what's going on. 45 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 2: Everybody's looking at these coffins silently trying to figure out 46 00:02:58,560 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 2: what just happened. 47 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: From prolog projects and Pushkin industries, this is fiasco Benghazi. 48 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: What difference at this point does it make? Yes, that's right, 49 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: Lock her up. Subscribe to Pushkin Plus to binge the 50 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: entire season of Fiasco Bengazi ad free starting September eighth 51 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: as a Pushkin Plus subscriber who also get bonus episodes, 52 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: full audiobooks, and binge's from your favorite Pushkin hosts and authors. 53 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: Find Pushkin Plus on the Fiasco show page on Apple Podcasts, 54 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: or at pushkin dot fm, slash plus