WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) issued a letter to members of House and Senate leadership requesting immediate action from both chambers of Congress to fully investigate the facts surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Below is the text of that letter.
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Dear Mr. Reid, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Boehner, and Ms. Pelosi:
We write to respectfully urge immediate action from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to fully investigate the facts surrounding the terrorist attack against the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
The FBI has led an ongoing criminal investigation into the events in Benghazi, relying on cooperation from local and national police in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt. Incredibly, this investigation has proceeded very slowly with the FBI only reaching the scene of attack weeks afterwards due to the Libyan government’s lack of approval. The FBI has also been conducting its investigation in Tripoli – more than 500 miles from the scene of attack. Worsening the situation, the Tunisian authorities recently released Ali Ani al-Harzi, the only suspect in the attack to have been taken into custody. To-date, the U.S. Government has yet to bring to justice any of the terrorists responsible for the attack in Benghazi.
On December 30, 2012, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) released a report on the Benghazi terrorist attacks entitled, Flashing Red: A Special Report on the Terrorist Attack in Benghazi. Among its findings, it stated that “the State Department failed to take adequate steps to fill the resulting security gap, or to invest in upgrading the Libyan security forces” and that “the Department of State did not adequately respond to security requests from its personnel in Benghazi.”
Last week, Secretary Hillary Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee on the finding of the Accountability Review Board’s (ARB) report on the attacks and on the State Department’s performance leading up to, during, and following the attack. The ARB found that “systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place.”
In a CNN interview last October, Secretary Clinton stated, “I take responsibility [for the security of American diplomatic outposts]. I’m in charge of the State Department’s 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts.” Yet, Secretary Clinton was not interviewed by the ARB, and she has chosen not to relieve those responsible for gross negligence in the State Department from their posts. Instead, these individuals have only been placed on administrative leave, and they continue receiving paychecks from the American taxpayers.
The Administration’s explanation to the American people about what occurred in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 reveal stunning discrepancies between the falsehood that was propagated for weeks on end by Ambassador Susan Rice that the attack was “spontaneous,” the outcome of a protest “spun out of control” and the truth validated in the ARB that “the Board concluded that there was no protest prior to the attacks.” The American people do not take lightly to being misled about what really happened in Benghazi, and we believe that those decision-makers responsible for such action should be held accountable.
Further, we find Secretary Clinton’s attempts to shift the blame for the State Department’s mismanagement and poor leadership to a lack of funding from the U.S. Congress extremely troubling. Secretary Clinton’s own Deputy Assistant Secretary Charlene Lamb testified to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on October 10, 2012 that budgetary considerations played no role in the State Department’s refusal to send additional security personnel to Benghazi.
This is not a money problem – it is a leadership and management problem entrenched within the State Department. Last year, instead of ensuring that Americans in high-risk areas had adequate security, the State Department and USAID spent $322,000 to build dog kennels in Iraq, $750,000 to restore a sixteenth-century tomb complex in India, $700,000 to conserve ruins in Tanzania, and $20 million to spark “private sector competitiveness” in Ethiopia. While some of these programs may support U.S. interests in some capacity, shouldn’t the State Department consider the lives of American diplomats more valuable when prioritizing funding?
On May 7, 2012, the State Department denied a request by a group of Special Forces assigned to protect the U.S. consulate in Libya to continue their use of a DC-3 airplane for security operations. Yet four days later, the State Department authorized the U.S. embassy in Vienna to purchase a $108,000 electric vehicle charging station for the embassy Chevrolet Volts as part of the “Energy Efficiency Sweep of Europe” initiative. We find that these priorities in expenditures in light of the deteriorating security environment in Benghazi a matter that requires full accountability by those responsible.
We believe that the U.S. Congress has a responsibility to the American people to conduct appropriate oversight over this issue. We are not satisfied by the testimony given by Secretary Clinton last week, nor do we believe the complete picture was given by the ARB.
In light of all of this, we feel there is a compelling reason for Congress to open its own investigation into what happened in Benghazi.
We appreciate your timely consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Rand Paul, M.D. Jeff Duncan (SC-03)
United States Senator Member of Congress
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24 comments
Seriously, fuck this shit already…these disingenuous assholes are on my last nerve.
No, fuck you….these are men, hell bent on getting the truth. Go back to the rock you crawled out from underneath…..you ball sucker !
These fucks are looking out for their careers, not justice. Iraq Vet is correct. WMDs my ass. Fuck you back if that helps…
I wouldn’t fuck him with your dick and a dog to hump it with. Jus sayin
I’ve seen more people die in a day and I still don’t know WTF we were over there for. I would love to stick my boot up Mr. Mission Acomplished.
Dear Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.),
I agree with your position that there needs to be accountability and consequences for actions taken in Benghazi. The “Blame Game” needs to stop, and the truth needs to be told!
Dr. Allen when it comes to truth, doesn’t Duncan has a real problem telling it? Just look at the statement he made “I played football at Clemson under Danny Ford”. When in fact he was on the “scout team for a year. Never was assigned a jersey and never “played” in a game. I ask you is this truth that Jeff Duncan comes to believe.
The American people deserve accountability on the murders of our Ambassador and our other 3 hero’s!!! Those responsible for not sending help need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!!! We firmly beleive it goes all the way to the top!!!
Congress…THIS congress, thinks it will outperform the FBI based in Tripoli by conducting it’s own investigation from 5220.8 Miles away, sitting on their cans in Washington??? Good luck.
Damnit, I’ve been telling you for months to impanel a special prosecutor to investigate and indict the people involved with Fast and Furious, Benghazi and the bank bailouts. Secret operations don’t like sunlight.
Another waste of Congress time. Why not an investigation into why we pay idiots like Joe Wilson to do nothing but breathe air. Talking with him is like talking to a stick.
It should be pretty obvious by now that the only way to stand any chance of getting the truth out of Barry S or Hillary RC is to give them some Truth Serum! Lets see what I’ve heard… Clinton and Soetoro watched the whole episode via a video-linked drone flying overhead… Soetoro wanted “them” to kidnap the ambassador so he could bargain with them for a prisoner swap and be a hero. “Terrorists” were expecting a quick in-out-nobody-gets-hurt mission, and when they met opposition that killed over 60 0f them, they thought they’d been double-crossed, and killed the subject. Barry had tried real hard to keep any military support away from it, but 2 lonely former SEALs threw a fly into the ointment. A REAL BIG fly! I believe Clinton and Soetoro should be convicted of MURDER in this case!
Change you drug of choice, you’re too paranoid.
billkline, You hit the nail dead center I Don’t know why Clinton, is covering up for OBUMMER but she is
Lil jeffy duncan is wasting time and money trying to make a name for himself. Speaking of making a name how about his famed football career at clumson??? Is his political career going to end like his BIG FOOTBALL career? Going no were fast.
Mine didn’t he look really stupid at the hearings? Hillary made him look like a BIG-FAT-GOOD OLE BOY.
Jeff Duncan is an idiot
The hearing was yet another waste of taxpayer’s money. The Democrats stroked their own ego’s and were obviously already working towards Hillary’s 2016 campaign with the incessant, embarrassing, slobbering. The Republicans had their opportunity to keep pushing for answers and were ill prepared. I believe they each had a 5 minute limit. From outward appearances, each individual questioner had their own little agenda of what to ask. If they had worked together on a list of questions and how to respond to probable answers, it was not obvious. When Madame Secretary blew off an answer, the next questioner should have picked up that same ball. Should have been relentless. Not a Perry Mason in the bunch. Hillary probably walked into her office, closed the door and laughed at the rookies. Remember, she learned from one of the best evaders in history. Bill Clinton.
If Congressman Duncan and Senator Paul get anything that resembles real answers I will be shocked.
i am a vetren off the vietnam dav and sometimes i feel like those 50,000 guys fought and died for nothing. if they could see what a mess we are in now. the congress& white house,, the lyess and cover up”s.. but then i know they were AMERICAN”S the greatest solders in the world,. WHARE HAVE ALL THE++ AMERICANS GONE> joe connolly. our solders are still best.
Rand Paul and Jeff Duncan, what a pair.
Curly headed is always followed by little faggot. I dunno why, just is.
Jeff Duncan, punked by Hillary.
Both are wide stance republicans.
“Wide-stance republicans.” Now thete’s a nice turn of phrase.
Duncan and Paul are just grandstanding. That’s all.
If the BP executives were in front of congress answering questions about why they were not more forthcoming releasing information about the deaths on the oil rig and they responded with, “What difference does it make?!?”-They be crucified by the media and the public. Yet Hillary gets away with it. Who specifically blamed it on the U-tube video?
She says she’s responsible. She says we will go after and get who did it. Yet the only one behind bars is the guy who made the video.
I agree “Inciteful”. I’d like to know who gave the orders to “Stand Down”!
You guys need to go back and watch the clip where Hilary asked “Why does it matter?” because Fox News never aired the part where she said it was our responsibility to find out what happen and what needs to be done to prevent another attack. At this point, she didn’t think it really mattered what started the attack, a offensive video or whatever other theories are floating around, she was just concerned with find out what happened.