Benghazi - One Year Later

                One year ago on September 11, 2012, terrorists attacked a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and killed four Americans.  The four men who were killed were our U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three other men.  Ambassador Chris Stevens and Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith died of smoke inhalation in the main consulate building.  Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, both former U.S. Navy Seals, died defending the survivors of the attack after they had retreated to a nearby CIA facility.

                On the first anniversary of the Benghazi attack, little has changed since the attacks took place.  TheBlaze  published a “timeline detailing how the events first unfolded in Benghazi – and now on the political battlefield in Washington, D.C.”  Their timeline covers everything from the night of the attacks.  The latest news is a report out of the New York Times that the Libyan government will not arrest the suspected murderers, and Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress that he will not permit the survivors of the attacks to testify before Congress.

                Even though John Kerry appears to have the same opinion as his predecessor Hilary Clinton – “What difference does it make now?” – the House Oversight Committee wants some answers.  The committee sent a letter on September 8, 2013, to John Kerry “demanding the Benghazi survivors be made available for interviews with Congress or else they may be subpoenaed.”  Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif) said that he will have “no alternative but to consider the use of compulsory process” if the Kerry continues to object.

                Citing the need for exemptions because of “ongoing investigations or national security,” the “FBI, CIA, Director of National Intelligence, Defense Department, State Department, and National Security Agency have rejected or failed to answer multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made by CBS News.”  Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, has also filed FOI lawsuits for information about the Benghazi attacks.  One of the big questions is how the video became the story.

                According to a report by CBS News, Representative Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said, “Benghazi matters as much today as it did on September 11, 2012.”  He “wants to know why the State Department allowed a consulate that did not meet security requirements to remain open; what assets, if any, were en route when the siege ended; and was there any evidence upon which Susan Rice based her public pronouncements that this attack was a response to a video?”

                Benghazi is not going away.  We remember that four Americans were killed, and we want to know why.  We also want to know why our President and members of his administration lied to us and why they are keeping information from us.