From Benghazi to E-Mails: Two Sides of the Same Scandal

Abstract

This chapter argues that the Benghazi and e-mail scandals were no exception to the American political scandal narrative. Dewberry describes the American political scandal narrative and recounts the Benghazi attack. He focuses on how scandals related to Benghazi followed the scandal narrative in both the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. Both attempts at scandal unfolded in a similar manner as other historical political scandals. Although both attempts failed to reveal a cover-up, Dewberry addresses the nature of the narrative as reflecting the use of scandals as a discursive political weapon.