By Douglas V. Gibbs
Everyone knew that on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks against the United States the safety of Americans against Muslim terrorists would be at risk. Everyone knew that in countries like Libya, as Islamism gains more control of the governments, the danger to American personnel in these countries was high. For the first time since 9/11, on the anniversary of the terror attacks, security was not heightened at America's embassies around the world. The U.S. diplomats in Libya repeatedly asked the Obama administration for more security in Benghazi as the 9/11 anniversary approached, and were denied.
"Based on information provided to the committee by individuals with direct knowledge of events in Libya, the attack that claimed the ambassador's life was the latest in a long line of attacks on Western diplomats and officials in Libya in the months leading up to September 11, 2012," House oversight committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "In addition, multiple U.S. federal government officials have confirmed to the committee that, prior to the September 11 attack, the U.S. mission in Libya made repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi. The mission in Libya, however, was denied these resources by officials in Washington."
The House committee plans to hold an Oct. 10 hearing on security in the region leading up to the attack. The letter to Clinton alleges 12 incidents that showed the deteriorating security situation on the ground.
"Put together, these events indicated a clear pattern of security threats that could only be reasonably interpreted to justify increased security for U.S. personnel and facilities in Benghazi," the lawmakers wrote.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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