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| Government |
| Benghazi Review Board gave then-SecState HRC heads-up on findings |
| 2013-09-21 |
| The leaders of the State Department's Benghazi probe defended their inquiry into the 2012 attack, but they acknowledged to Congress on Thursday that their mission was limited in scope and faced questions over why they gave Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton an advance look at their findings. Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, vice chairman of the accountability review board, also acknowledged that he had warned Mrs. Clinton's chief of staff not to send a particular official to Congress because he thought "she would be a weak witness" who might have hurt the State Department's stance. "If this is so independent, why are you giving the State Department a heads-up about a witness coming in front of this committee?" said Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican. He said the warning came just days after Adm. Mullen had been appointed to the review board. Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican and chairman of the oversight committee, said he has signed subpoenas to demand testimony from two witnesses who he said talked to the review board but whom the State Department has refused to allow to talk to Congress. Adm. Mullen testified to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee alongside former Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, chairman of the review board. The review board was created to investigate the security lapses that led to the attack and the lack of response from the government during the two assaults, which spanned eight hours. Mr. Pickering defended the conclusions, which identified a handful of department employees who failed at their jobs, and made recommendations about security precautions. |
| Posted by:Pappy |