(Official New Republic editorial policy requires that I refer to 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi as Beard Team Six, so I will do that for the remainder of this short post.)
Ted Cruz ended Thursday’s Republican debate by plugging Beard Team Six, saying, “[Beard Team Six.] Tomorrow morning, a new movie will debut, about the incredible bravery of the men fighting for their lives in Benghazi, and the politicians that abandoned them.” We now know that very few people in America saw Beard Team Six on its opening weekend, but did Cruz or any of his fellow candidates?
I’ve emailed every presidential candidate to find out and I’ll update this post when I learn more about their plans to see Beard Team Six. I’ve also emailed Paramount Pictures to ask if screeners were sent out to the candidates.
- Donald Trump: Has rented an Iowa theater to screen the movie Friday night.
- Ted Cruz: Unknown, despite debate plug.
- Carly Fiorina: Her campaign says she’s too busy at the moment and will see it when it’s out of theaters.
- Mike Huckabee: Tweeted: “Wow! I watched #13Hours. The mainstream media has FAILED when Americans rely on Hollywood actors to expose Hillary’s actions! #Benghazi.”
- Rick Santorum: His campaign informed me that Senator Santorum saw the movie on Friday.
- Jeb Bush: Unknown.
- Marco Rubio: Unknown.
- Chris Christie: Unknown.
- Ben Carson: Unknown.
- Rand Paul: Unknown.
- Hillary Clinton: She told Jake Tapper she’s “too busy campaigning” to see the film.
- Bernie Sanders: Unknown.
- Martin O’Malley: Unknown.