Tom Cotton and ’13 Hours’ Have a Date Tonight

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has Friday night plans to go to the movies.
At the Georgetown AMC theaters, America Rising PAC and Future45 is hosting a private screening of the film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” at 4:30 p.m. According to Cotton’s office, the senator is “looking forward to seeing this account of what happened that night.” Republicans have made the fallout of the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound at Benghazi, Libya, a key line of attack against the Democratic presidential front-runner, Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of State at the time.
Following the screening at 7 p.m., the organizations are hosting a reception and conversation at the Georgetown Ritz Carlton.
The movie, in wide release Friday, is being marketed as “the true story of six men who had the courage to fight back.” Although Michael Bay, the director and mastermind of the “Transformer” movies and “The Rock” and “Armageddon,” has said it is not political, Republicans are touting it as exposing Clinton.
“Without even appearing in the movie, 13 Hours is an indictment of the failed leadership and bad judgment of Secretary Clinton,” America Rising PAC executive director Colin Reed said in a press release.
Future45 president Brian O. Walsh also said in a statement that “The release of 13 Hours will re-start the conversation over Benghazi and introduce a whole new audience to the events of that night. Coming just weeks before the first votes are cast and in the form of a major motion picture from Hollywood, the timing couldn’t be worse for Secretary Clinton.”
Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.