Former Benghazi committee investigator names Gowdy in defamation lawsuit

Further, Podliska’s suit claims the charge was false because the information Podliska handled was drawn entirely from “sources from the Internet”, and that the committee staffer who made the allegation later admitted the material “was not classified”.

The suit points to a press release and an interview with NBC News in which Gowdy said Podliska’s criticism of the committee was a “lie” and that his work was “lousy”.

Brad Podliska, a former Benghazi committee investigator, filed a federal lawsuit against the committee and its chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., on Monday for discrimination and defamation.

Podliska’s legal team argues Gowdy’s claims of Podliska committing a “serious crime” have ” ended the careers of many professionals in national security-related industries”.

Podliska was “singled out because of his military service and because he was unwilling to go along with the hyper-focus on the State Department and Secretary Clinton based upon the fact that his comprehensive, thorough and objective investigation was pointing at other agencies and individuals”, the lawsuit states.

The special House committee was created in May 2014 to investigate the circumstances before, during and after the attacks in Benghazi, which killed four Americans. Podliska originally made those claims last month, but was quickly written off by many on the panel, including Gowdy.

Podliska’s lawsuit also alleges “questionable activities” occurred during committee meetings, including “alcohol-infused drinking sessions” called “Wine Wednesdays”.

Gowdy claims that one of the reasons he fired Podliska was for his mishandling of classified information. “We look forward to responding to the allegations in due course and in the appropriate forum”.

Gowdy has disputed recent comments by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans that the Benghazi panel can take credit for driving down Clinton’s poll numbers.

Podliska’s initial complaint emerged days before Clinton’s high-profile testimony to the Benghazi panel on October 22 and amid fierce partisan fighting about the true nature of the GOP-led investigation.