Benghazi on the Record: Asked and Answered
Database Search Results:
Questions (13)
- Why was security in Benghazi inadequate despite repeated requests?
- Did Secretary Clinton personally authorize cables that reduced State Department security?
- Why was the U.S. the “last flag flying” in Benghazi?
- Did the Pentagon fail to deploy military assets that could have saved lives on the night of the attacks?
- Did the Pentagon fail to deploy F-16s that would have saved lives?
- Did the Pentagon order four military personnel in Tripoli to “stand down?”
- Did CIA Deputy Director Morell alter the talking points for political reasons?
- Did Ambassador Rice intentionally misrepresent the facts on Sunday talk shows after the attacks?
- What is the origin of the idea that a video motivated the attacks?
- Where was the President and what did he do on the night of the attacks?
- Did Secretary of State Clinton order Secretary of Defense Panetta to "stand down?"
- Was the CIA security team improperly prevented from departing for the Benghazi diplomatic compound?
- Did the U.S. engage in illegal gunrunning from Libya to arm rebels in Syria?
"The decision, I can tell you this, the decision to not augment security went to the highest levels of the State Department. Now, whether or not Secretary Clinton had actual or constructive knowledge of it, I can’t prove yet. I can prove this to you though: she should have. She's the head of the State Department. "
Source: Fox News"Reductions of security levels prior to the attacks in Benghazi were approved at the highest levels of the State Department, up to and including Secretary Clinton. … [I]n a cable signed by Secretary Clinton in April 2012, the State Department settled on a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including Benghazi. … In addition, the April 2012 cable from Secretary Clinton recommended that the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Mission in Libya conduct a 'joint reassessment of the number of DS agents requested for Benghazi.' … Despite the Ambassador’s March request, the April cable from Clinton stipulates that the plan to drawdown security assets will proceed as planned."
Source: “Five Chairmen” Staff Report to House Republican Conference"Reductions of security levels prior to the attacks in Benghazi were approved at the highest levels of the State Department, up to and including Secretary Clinton. … [I]n a cable signed by Secretary Clinton in April 2012, the State Department settled on a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including Benghazi. … In addition, the April 2012 cable from Secretary Clinton recommended that the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Mission in Libya conduct a 'joint reassessment of the number of DS agents requested for Benghazi.' … Despite the Ambassador’s March request, the April cable from Clinton stipulates that the plan to drawdown security assets will proceed as planned."
Source: “Five Chairmen” Staff Report to House Republican Conference"Reductions of security levels prior to the attacks in Benghazi were approved at the highest levels of the State Department, up to and including Secretary Clinton. … [I]n a cable signed by Secretary Clinton in April 2012, the State Department settled on a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including Benghazi. … In addition, the April 2012 cable from Secretary Clinton recommended that the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Mission in Libya conduct a 'joint reassessment of the number of DS agents requested for Benghazi.' … Despite the Ambassador’s March request, the April cable from Clinton stipulates that the plan to drawdown security assets will proceed as planned."
Source: “Five Chairmen” Staff Report to House Republican Conference"Reductions of security levels prior to the attacks in Benghazi were approved at the highest levels of the State Department, up to and including Secretary Clinton. … [I]n a cable signed by Secretary Clinton in April 2012, the State Department settled on a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including Benghazi. … In addition, the April 2012 cable from Secretary Clinton recommended that the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Mission in Libya conduct a 'joint reassessment of the number of DS agents requested for Benghazi.' … Despite the Ambassador’s March request, the April cable from Clinton stipulates that the plan to drawdown security assets will proceed as planned."
Source: “Five Chairmen” Staff Report to House Republican Conference"Reductions of security levels prior to the attacks in Benghazi were approved at the highest levels of the State Department, up to and including Secretary Clinton. … [I]n a cable signed by Secretary Clinton in April 2012, the State Department settled on a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including Benghazi. … In addition, the April 2012 cable from Secretary Clinton recommended that the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Mission in Libya conduct a 'joint reassessment of the number of DS agents requested for Benghazi.' … Despite the Ambassador’s March request, the April cable from Clinton stipulates that the plan to drawdown security assets will proceed as planned."
Source: “Five Chairmen” Staff Report to House Republican Conference"[A]n April 19, 2012 cable acknowledged requests for additional security, but instead ordered the withdrawal of security assets. This cable was signed by then-Secretary of State Hilary [sic] Clinton. … [I]t was then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who denied the requested and much-needed additional security to our representatives in Libya."
Source: Congressional Website"The Secretary of State was just wrong. She said she did not participate in this, and yet only a few months before the attack she outright denied security in her signature in a cable April 2012."
Source: Fox News"Yeah, she's [Secretary Clinton] the boss. ... This is not France, this is not Great Britain, where you can rely on a handful of your security and rely on a host country to provide additional security. It’s Libya for goodness sake, and they’re treating it like an embassy in Canada. They knew if there was an attack on the compound, the hired help were going to drop their weapons and run or worst case fire on the good guys. So they said they needed more help. Hillary Clinton denied that."
Source: The Lima News"According to the progress report released yesterday, this cable shows that Secretary Clinton acknowledged a request for additional security but still 'ordered the withdrawal of security elements to proceed' from Benghazi."
Source: Congressional Website"[Hillary Clinton] didn’t provide the security—not just that day, for 9 months, dozens and dozens of requests for more security all completely ignored by Hillary Clinton."
Source: CNN"If you [Secretary Clinton] were clear eyed, why did your department reject the request on 7 June for 16 additional security agents? The site security team that would have been funded by the DOD not Department of State expenditure."
Source: Congressional Website"Most notably, Ambassador Stevens sent a cable to the State Department on August 15, 2012, expressly requesting additional security because the Benghazi consulate could not withstand a coordinated attack. The requests were denied, but Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, observed in congressional testimony that Defense could have provided all the needed security if State had requested it."
Source: National Review Online"Why was the State Department unwilling to provide the requested level of security to Benghazi in the summer of 2012?"
Source: Congressional Website"Why was the State Department unwilling to provide the requested level of security to Benghazi in the summer of 2012?"
Source: Congressional Website"Let's also not forget the state department ignored ample warnings about the deteriorating threat environment in Libya and rejected requests for additional security support from officers on the ground in Benghazi. "
Source: Hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence"In our bipartisan report, we found that the State Department downplayed the terrorist threat in Benghazi despite numerous attacks on Western targets, ignored repeated requests for additional security, and insufficiently fortified a woefully ill-protected American compound which should have been closed until either security was strengthened or the threat abated."
Source: Congressional Website"I would put out that, you know, something like this probably wouldn't have happened and probably won't happen again if all the indicators were given their due attention; the hundreds of reports that were put out prior to the attack that clearly detailed the deteriorating security position within Benghazi, the two prior attacks on the temporary facility, the assassination attempt on the British Ambassador, the fact that the Brits pulled out of Benghazi, that in light of the fact that multiple requests were made to the Department of State for increased material and personnel, to increase their security posture, which were denied. "
Source: Hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence"[The White House] knew before anyone else knew that it was terrorism. Why would the Department of State, why would the CIA, why would Department of Defense lie to the chief executive; lie to the Commander in Chief? They knew exactly what it was, Governor, but it doesn’t fit the narrative. … Of course they knew, and of course they scrubbed out that information, so Susan Rice either didn't have it or didn't use it when she went on the television talk shows on Sunday."
Source: Fox News"There clearly were stand down orders given to people not only in Benghazi but also in Tripoli and the State Department's counter-terrorism team, the FEST team, which is probably the worst of all."
Source: Fox News"There clearly were stand down orders given to people not only in Benghazi but also in Tripoli and the State Department's counter-terrorism team, the FEST team, which is probably the worst of all."
Source: Fox News"I think there's a legitimate line of inquiry about why political actors were involved in putting out talking points to this committee that were requested not from the State Department, not from the White House, but from the Central Intelligence Agency. "
Source: Hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence"Why there was not one order given to turn on one Department of Defense asset? I have my suspicions, which is Secretary Clinton told Leon to stand down, and we all heard about the stand down order for two military personnel. That order is undeniable."
Source: Republican Party of New Hampshire, Concord GOP Committee and Merrimack County GOP Committee"A U.S. consulate is under attack. A U.S. Ambassador is missing. A State Department Diplomatic Security Agent is dead. Are the American people to believe the president is briefed only once that entire night, at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time? Where was the president the rest of the night?"
Source: Congressional Website"With respect to Mr. Morell, every change he made to the talking points, in my judgment, sanitized them, to go from the word terrorist to the word extremist, to go from the word attack to the word demonstration. And most significantly, take out any reference of the prior episodes of violence in Libya because -- and his own testimony was -- he didn't want to embarrass the State Department."
Source: PBS"We want to know how the story of Benghazi got so distorted. How Susan Rice came up with such a bizarre story disconnected with the facts? Why doesn’t the White House give us the September 12th memo from Beth Thomas [sic] [Jones] where she told everybody in the White House, in the State Department I just told the president of Libya this was an al Qaeda inspired affiliated group attack."
Source: Fox News"There are lots of important questions like why was the security, additional security not provided when there were repeated requests for it before the attacks? 200 security incidences before the attacks on September 11, and yet when they asked for additional help they were denied it."
Source: Fox News"I would say there are three questions that need to be answered. The before: there were over 200 security incidences in Libya leading up to the attacks of September 11, 2012. There were repeated requests for additional security, those were denied. Why was that decision made"
Source: The Daily Signal"[T]here were repeated requests from the ambassador himself for additional security."
Source: Fox News"The [Accountability Review Board] report also did not address the reasons why Under Secretary Patrick F. Kennedy apparently withdrew the Security Support Team from Libya, despite multiple warnings from Ambassador Christopher Stevens of a deteriorating security situation. This was a key decision that detrimentally affected the security posture of U.S. diplomats in Libya prior to the attack."
Source: Joint Letter to Secretary of State Clinton"Well, Greta, your viewers would still have the same unanswered questions that we have, why our security profile was so low in Benghazi on the anniversary 9/11."
Source: Fox News"You know, I think that there are probably three areas that the Committee will look at—the events leading up to 9/11, 2012, the requests—the number of requests for more security and why it was not provided…"
Source: Fox News"Rep. Jim Jordan—an Ohio Republican who will sit on the select committee and has previously had access to troves of Benghazi documents as well as private briefings from witnesses from his post on Oversight—said he still wants answers on why ‘repeated requests for additional security prior to Sept. 11, 2012’ went unanswered."
Source: Politico"Why was our security profile so low in Benghazi on the anniversary of 9/11? Why were our assets not positioned across the globe in such a way that we could respond to northern Africa in time?"
Source: Fox News"We do not know why repeated requests for additional security from Embassy Tripoli were ignored in Washington."
Source: Congressional Website"Numerous requests for security were denied in Washington, to the point that the head of security in Libya said he believed the Taliban were working in Washington."
Source: CBS"The [Accountability Review Board] report also did not address the reasons why Under Secretary Patrick F. Kennedy apparently withdrew the Security Support Team from Libya, despite multiple warnings from Ambassador Christopher Stevens of a deteriorating security situation. This was a key decision that detrimentally affected the security posture of U.S. diplomats in Libya prior to the attack."
Source: Joint Letter to Secretary of State Clinton"As you showed that clip, the administration was notified in March and May, requests for additional security; on August 16th a classified cable after an emergency meeting for additional security. Those requests were denied. ... And so it creates a picture of either gross negligence or something very odd to me in terms of why was security denied at so many points when the warnings, a cry for help from the ambassador was put out there and yet nothing was done."
Source: MSNBC"We do not know why repeated requests for additional security from Embassy Tripoli were ignored in Washington."
Source: Congressional Website"Key issues in this investigation are ... who denied requests for additional security to U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi."
Source: Joint Letter to President Obama"Key issues in this investigation are ... who denied requests for additional security to U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi."
Source: Joint Letter to President Obama"It seems like there needs to be a tripwire, that making sure that requests for security, particularly where we just come out of a war zone in Libya, go up the chain of command, that did not happen here. And I think that’s very important. To be clear, I would think that you would want to be more focused on the actual security requests."
Source: MSNBC"Key issues in this investigation are ... who denied requests for additional security to U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi."
Source: Joint Letter to President Obama"Key issues in this investigation are ... who denied requests for additional security to U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi."
Source: Joint Letter to President Obama"Key issues in this investigation are ... who denied requests for additional security to U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi."
Source: Joint Letter to President Obama"Charlene Lamb testified at the October 12th hearing, the hearing the Oversight Committee had last -- last year. She testified this was not about resources, this was -- the fact that Eric Nordstrom repeatedly asked for additional security personnel to be in Libya was not only denied additional help, but they had -- what they had was -- was reduced, had nothing to do with resources, according to Charlene Lamb's testimony in front of the committee last October."
Source: CNN News"Nearly two years later, no one has been held accountable for denying repeated requests for additional security at the facility or for the U.S. military's inability to promptly respond and attempt to rescue our personnel."
Source: Congressional Website"We need to know if security at our embassy was adequate and why requests for additional security to protect more than 30 Americans at a key diplomatic post were denied."
Source: The Indianapolis Star"When we interviewed these guys, they said that they were really surprised at the lack of security at the mission facility. And they also testified that the people at the facility had been wanting help, requesting help, requesting additional security."
Source: CNN News"The report highlights that the Administration continuously denied requests for additional security prior to the attacks, then attempted to hide responsibility for those decisions."
Source: Congressional Website"The [Accountability Review Board] report also did not address the reasons why Under Secretary Patrick F. Kennedy apparently withdrew the Security Support Team from Libya, despite multiple warnings from Ambassador Christopher Stevens of a deteriorating security situation. This was a key decision that detrimentally affected the security posture of U.S. diplomats in Libya prior to the attack."
Source: Joint Letter to Secretary of State Clinton"The regional security officer and ambassador requested to keep the additional security on the ground. That request was denied in August of 2012, and in September of 2012, there was an attack on our facility. And we did not have the manpower to repel them. What was the reason for the decision to remove the existing security force from Libya and leave only a small security team there?"
Source: Congressional Website"And the fact that they denied these legitimate requests for additional security in Libya."
Source: Congressional Website"Why was security for our facility in Libya inadequate, and why were repeated calls for additional security unheeded and, indeed, explicitly rejected?"
Source: USA Today"Many questions remain surrounding the failure to respond to repeated requests for additional security in Libya."
Source: Congressional Website"[W]hy was our security footprint so light despite the repeated requests for more security?"
Source: PBS"We do not know why repeated requests for additional security from Embassy Tripoli were ignored in Washington."
Source: Congressional Website"He [Secretary of State John Kerry] didn't want to answer, and I tried to make the connection between Benghazi and Syria by asking whether weapons were being funneled from the rebels that we supplied them to in Libya to the rebels in Syria. ... He didn't answer that question."
Source: Newsmax"I'm concerned about the veracity of how she responded. For example, the New York Times about two weeks ago reported that the CIA has been involved with facilitating weapons to Syria for over a year. And it's also been reported I think in the New York Times as well that Hillary Clinton was the big cheerleader for arming Syria when there was two factions within the Obama Administration arguing this. Hillary Clinton was the one, you know, cheering them on to get weapons. She was the hard-liner that wanted to get involved in the war in Syria. And yet, in the hearing she says oh, she's never heard of this? I find that hard to believe. And after Clapper's coming to Congress and lying because he said it was classified, my question to Hillary Clinton is, did you lie to Congress simply because it was a classified program, or were you telling the truth? And I really kind of doubt the Secretary of State has no knowledge that the CIA is facilitating weapons to Syria."
Source: Aaron Klein Radio