A stunned Congressman Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on Benghazi, agreed to resign from Congress Wednesday if committee leaks were traced back to his office.
The flustered Cummings then walked back his promise, saying only “I’d be angry.”
“Cummings agreed to resign from Congress if his office was responsible for leaking Benghazi committee testimony, then tried to walk it back,” said Ferguson. “He is already under an Ethics investigation for similar charges. If the leaks are traced back to Cummings, he has no choice but to resign from Congress for obstructing an official investigation.”
During an exclusive noon campaign fundraising event at posh Capitol Hill cocktail lounge Stanton and Greene, Cummings was confronted by Stop Hillary PAC Political Director Donald Ferguson on Democrat efforts to obstruct the Benghazi probe.
Stop Hillary PAC staff attended the event after the Campaign bizarrely sent an invitation to Dan Backer, the Counsel for Stop Hillary that Cummings had personally attacked in an official House press release as part of his campaign of obstruction.
Specifically, Cummings was asked about leaks of testimony offered to the committee with a promise it would remain confidential.
Such leaks discourage witnesses from working with the Committee, whose first two hearings had to be cancelled after Democrats intimidated witnesses, and are part of a broader effort by Democrats, led by Cummings, to obstruct yet another congressional investigation.
Cummings was first asked by Ferguson whether his office played any role in leaking to the media the testimony of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills.
The room fell silent as Cummings glared at Ferguson as the dozen or so lobbyists, paying $1000 a plate, stared into their baked salmon and beef stroganoff.
Mills’ testimony was confidential, but within minutes of leaving the closed door hearing a reporter quoted it to committee chairman Trey Gowdy verbatim.
Cummings first claimed to have no idea what Ferguson meant when he refereed to Mills’ testimony.
It is unlikely Cummings is unaware Mills testified to the committee or that it was leaked.
Cummings has not only previously demanded Mills’ testimony be released to the media, he has blamed Republicans for the leak and was in the room for several hours while she testified.
After Ferguson explained Mills’ testimony and the leaks, Cummings denied any involvement and said “my office would never do that.”
That’s not true.
Cummings and his office have a history of obtaining and sharing confidential information.
Cummings and his staffers are currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for requesting confidential IRS information on Tea Party groups, specifically “True The Vote.”
But it was the next question that caught Cummings even more off guard.
Ferguson asked Cummings if the leak were traced back to his office, would he resign from Congress?
“Yes. I would resign,” Cummings flatly stated.
But he then immediately backtracked and said “I would be very angry” if it is found his office was responsible for the leaks.
A visibly shaken, but collected, Cummings continued with the event as Ferguson politely left and offered Cummings his thanks.
Also at the event were lobbyists from Google, the Teamsters, Bank of America, and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
AAN Staff
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