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State Department briefing on U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi

Rep. Darrell Issa opened the hearing at noon Eastern Time by noting that, along with four Americans dead following the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya, there were other Americans who were injured. Issa noted that a purported anti-Islam film that appears to have been created in California was not the basis for the attack, saying the film "clearly had no direct affect on the attack."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:18:32 PM
Rep. Issa: The terror attack in Benghazi was one that was "reasonably predictable to have happened somewhere in the world."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:19:00 PM
Rep. Elijah Cummings: Contrary to reports, five U.S. agents were providing security for the consulate in Benghazi, Libya the evening of the attack.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:19:55 PM
Rep. Cummings: "The House has cut embassy security by hundreds of millions of dollars...the final amounts were still far below the administration's request."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:22:05 PM
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Congressman from Utah, claims test run attacks were executed in Benghazi: "It was a terrorist attack on a U.S. asset in Libya, and it was never exposed."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:27:35 PM
Rep. Jason Chaffetz: "Any reasonable person looking at the security situation in Libya had to come to the conclusion that it was tumultuous at best."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:28:06 PM
Rep. Chaffetz: "I think some of the information that the State Dept. has shared oversteps those bounds," referring to classified information surrounding Benghazi attack.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:28:39 PM
Rep. Eleanor Norton: "I agree with Mr. Chaffetz that perhaps, had there been more resources, we might have had a different result, but I must note that while the Republican budget increases the budget of the defense department, it slashes the budget that would have protected these diplomats."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:30:35 PM
While U.S. House members hold a hearing on the Benghazi consulate attack, the White House's counter-terrorism boss John Brennan met with Libya's new leaders to discuss the attack.

From our article, reporting by Matt Spetalnick:

"Brennan met the president of the national congress, Mohammed Magarief, and other senior officials in Tripoli, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

The talks came after U.S. State Department officials on Tuesday offered their most detailed description yet of the Benghazi attack that led to the death of a U.S. ambassador, but they backed away from earlier assertions that the events were triggered by protests against an anti-Islam video." (more)

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:33:11 PM
Testifying before the U.S. House committee are Lt. Col. Andrew Wood, a U.S. Army commander who headed a security force in Libya; Mr. Eric Nordstrom who once served at the U.S. Embassy in Libya as a regional security officer; and Ms. Charlene Lamb with the U.S. Department of State.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:38:45 PM
Reuters video from the scene of the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya, recorded September 11, 2012.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:41:50 PM
Lt. Col. Wood: Ambassador received a "threat on Facebook," noting that he liked to run around the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Libya.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:44:49 PM
An interior view of the damage at the U.S. consulate, which was attacked and set on fire by gunmen in Benghazi. Photo taken September 12, 2012. [REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori]

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:45:57 PM
Mr. Nordstrom: "I'm concerned that this attack signals a new security reality."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:48:38 PM
Mr. Nordstrom: Due to Libyan security sensitivities, armed private security companies were not allowed to operate in Libya. Job of private security guards were to report suspicious activity to armed authorities.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:52:55 PM
Ms. Lamb: American consulate compound more than 300 yards long, 100 yards wide. Main building divided into two sections -- public section with common areas and meeting space, and private section for residential area. Second building housed diplomatic security agents. Tactical operations center occupied third building.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:56:14 PM
Ms. Lamb: Equipment was added to detect explosives at U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:57:03 PM
Ms. Lamb: On September 11, 2012, "dozens of attackers launched a full-scale assault" on consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Emergency notification system installed on consulate grounds was activated.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 4:58:31 PM
Ms. Charlene Lamb's biography provided by the U.S. State Department:

"Ms. Lamb manages more than $1.2 billion in security assets and programs and thousands of personnel dedicated to that purpose. She is also responsible for the safety and security of over 285 overseas Embassies and Consulates and oversees the 550 special agent/security professionals posted at those locations." (source)

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:00:20 PM
Rep. Chaffetz interrupts Ms. Lamb with a point of order, expresses concern that some information being presented by Ms. Lamb might be classified information, notably a blow-up cardboard photo depicting what looks to be an aerial image taken by satellite of the American compound in Benghazi and its surrounding area.

Rep. Cummings argues that Ms. Lamb works at the State Department and would know which information is classified and declassified. Ambassador Kennedy says information is not classified, and State Department has no plans to de-classify sensitive information at the House committee hearing.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:03:14 PM
Ambassador Patrick Kennedy, Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of State, is also speaking at the House committee hearing. Ambassador Kennedy's State Department biography

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:06:53 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: "As Secy. Clinton has said, the American people...deserve a full and accurate accounting. We at the State Department are determined to get this right."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:07:35 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: "Ambassador Stevens arrived in Benghazi at the height of the revolution. ...it was dangerous, a bomb exploded in the parking lot of his hotel. ...Chris understood that the State Dept. must operate in places where the military cannot or does not, there are no other boots on the ground, and there are serious threats to our security."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:09:51 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: "The assault that occurred on the evening of September 17...was an unprecedented assault by heavily armed men." [Kennedy may have meant to say September 11, 2012]

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:12:19 PM
Rep. Issa is entering documents related to the Benghazi attack into the record, some of the documents were obtained by at least one whistleblower. Issa claims the documents were being withheld by the House committee.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:15:39 PM
From today's testimony, it was revealed that diplomatic security in Libya was drawn down before the September 11, 2012 attack on a consulate in Benghazi. From reporters Susan Cornwell and Tabassum Zakaria:

"The security in Benghazi was a struggle and remained a struggle throughout my time there ... Diplomatic security remained weak," Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Wood told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in written testimony.

"The RSO (regional security officer) struggled to obtain additional personnel there (in Benghazi), but was never able to attain the numbers he felt comfortable with," Wood said. (more)

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:18:19 PM
Rep. Issa: In cables denied to U.S. House committee, that were obtained otherwise, concerns were expressed that al Qaeda-type forces were gathering.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:21:42 PM
Ms. Lamb: "We had the correct number of assets in Benghazi" on September 11, 2012. Ms. Lamb is discussing security assets.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:22:17 PM
Mr. Nordstrom: Guards who were protecting consulate in Benghazi were subcontracted.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:34:44 PM
Rep. Jim Jordan asks each witness how long they've been in Libya. Lt. Col. Wood said he was in Libya for six months; Mr. Nordstrom said he was in Libya for 10 months. Both witnesses from the U.S. State Department said they have not been to Libya.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:45:40 PM
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "There has to be accountability. I haven't heard that yet. We have an obligation to protect those who protect us. That's why this Congress needs to ask questions."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:52:08 PM
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "Our military intervention led to greater instability in Libya."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:53:56 PM
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "Decades of American foreign policy have...contributed to regional instability."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:54:27 PM
Lt. Col. Wood on al Qaeda presence in Libya: "They are certainly more established than we are."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 5:57:06 PM
Rep. Lynch: "The best way to honor the memory of those American heroes is to address the general and global issue of embassy security so that when we do assign other brave Americans to fill these posts that they do have adequate security."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:03:20 PM
Rep. Lynch and Rep. Chaffetz have a tussel over perceived classified information at the House hearing.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:09:18 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: Multiple initial reports came from Benghazi attack, some saying that there was a protest at the compound. Then those reports evolved.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:16:51 PM
Ambassador Kennedy says he “won’t go any further” on info about “protests” in #Benghazi; asks for a classified hearing.

by viewofadam via twitter 10/10/2012 6:20:06 PM
Photo of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya September 11, 2012. [REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori]

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:25:59 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: Two ongoing investigations into Benghazi attack -- one by FBI, another by Accountability Review Board.

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:38:49 PM
Rep. Danny Davis: "Benghazi was the cradle of the revolution."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:49:55 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: "There is, essentially, two major parts of Libya -- east and west. In order to help the Libyans move forward...we could not hunker down. We could not stay out...the State Department has to go into harms way."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 6:50:36 PM
Ambassador Kennedy: "We're never going to have enough guns. We're a diplomatic service...we're not an armed camp ready to fight it out as the U.S. military does if there was an attack on a U.S. military facility in Afghanistan."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 7:03:03 PM
Rep. Mike Kelly: "It's very unfortunate that terrorists don't recognize that this is an election year."

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 7:20:02 PM
U.S. Ambassador to U.N. Susan Rice, appearing on "FOX News Sunday" September 16, 2012, when asked if she believed that the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya was in response to an anti-Islam film circulating on YouTube:

"Chris, absolutely I believe that. Because, in fact, it is the case. We had the evolution of the Arab Spring over the last many months but what sparked the recent violence was the airing on the Internet of a very hateful very offensive video that has offended many people around the world."

(transcript source)

by Matthew Keys 10/10/2012 7:28:27 PM

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State Department briefing on U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi

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