Despite heavy coverage by Fox News and congressional Republicans, more Americans trust Hillary Clinton when it comes to Benghazi than the GOP.
In a new survey from Public Policy Polling, 49 percent of respondents said they trust Clinton more "on the issue of Benghazi" while 39 percent favored congressional Republicans.
A majority of Americans -- 52 percent -- said passing background checks for firearms sales was more important than continuing to investigate the attacks on the American embassy in Benghazi last September.
A slightly larger majority -- 56 percent -- said passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill was more important than investigating Benghazi.
On other questions, though, respondents seemed more ambivalent. While a full 65 percent of Americans said Benghazi isn't the worst scandal in American history, respondents split over which was worse, Benghazi or Watergate. So a substantial portion of Americans say Benghazi is both as bad as Watergate but not the worst scandal in American history, which means they must think Watergate -- the gold standard of American political scandals -- isn't the worst. But then, no one ever said Americans are consistent in their beliefs.
The same spread holds when Benghazi is compared to Iran-Contra, with equal numbers -- 44 percent -- claiming each scandal is worst.
Yet 52 percent of respondents still have a favorable view of Hillary Clinton, meaning they either don't blame her for Benghazi or don't think one of the "worst" political scandals in American history should affect their view of her much.
It sounds more like political hyperbole at work.
The latest media offensive on Benghazi is a concerted attempt to weaken Clinton as a presidential candidate in 2016, and it may be working, since Clinton's favorability numbers are down from a high of 66 percent a few months ago. Still, more than half of Americans view her favorably, and the next election is a long way off. It's unlikely Benghazi has legs that long.
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