E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSSens. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, address the Senate Homeland Security Committee's 31-page report on the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi which criticizes U.S. intelligence sources and the State Department for not acting on a warning signs ahead of the incident.
A report released Monday by the Senate Homeland Security Committee lambasted the handling of security around the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September when a deadly attack took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
In the months leading up to the Sept. 11 attack, there was a "rising crescendo" of evidence from U.S. intelligence sources and State Department personnel that the situation was becoming dangerous and unstable, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, one of the report's authors, said in a press conference on Monday.
"The tragedy is, however, that the reaction to the flashing red indicators was woefully inadequate," said Leiberman.
The 31-page report, "Flashing Red: A Special Report On The Terrorist Attack At Benghazi," paints a picture of a vulnerable outpost in Libya’s second-largest city, where it was clear that the new post-Gadhafi government was unable to provide full protection to diplomatic staff.
Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican member, said the congressional investigation found that "terrorists essentially walked right into the Benghazi compound unimpeded and set it ablaze, due to extremely poor security in a threat environment."
Collins said the State Department failed to take adequate steps to reduce the facility's vulnerability to a terrorist attack of this kind.
"While the Department and the Intelligence Community lacked specific intelligence about this attack, the State Department should not have waited for — or expected —specific warnings before increasing its security in Benghazi, a city awash with weapons and violent extremists," she said.
Both of the senators said the U.S. facility should have been closed, given the absence of sufficient security.
Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters
The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames, Sept. 11. Armed gunmen attacked the compound, clashing with Libyan security forces before the latter withdrew as they came under heavy fire.
The report noted that as the security situation deteriorated in eastern Libya in 2012, "the Department of State did not provide enough security to address the increased threats and did not adequately support field requests for additional security."
The congressional report follows a separate investigation by the State Department Accountability Review Board (ARB), which blamed State Department officials for "systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies" that led to "grossly inadequate" protection for the Benghazi facility. In response at the time, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said the problems highlighted by the ARB were unacceptable, "problems for which — as Secretary (Hillary) Clinton has said — we take responsibility."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in a hospital being treated for a blood clot, the result of a concussion suffered earlier in December. Collins said she hopes that after Clinton recovers, she will carefully review the congressional report and see if there are officials that "need to be held accountable."
Collins said that she did not see the tragedy as the fault of the Pentagon, but an indication that the Defense Department has insufficient assets to mount an effective response.
Among the report's recommendations:
- U.S. intelligence agencies need to "broaden and deepen their focus in Libya, and beyond, on nascent violent Islamist extremist groups in the region that lack strong operational ties to core al Qaeda or its main affiliate groups."
- If a host nation can’t provide adequate security for a diplomatic facility, "the Department of State must provide additional security measures of its own, urgently attempt to upgrade the host nation security forces, or decide to close a U.S. Diplomatic facility and remove U.S. personnel until appropriate steps can be taken to provide adequate security."
- The State Department needs to establish a "mandatory process" to determine what security standards are applicable to temporary facilities, such as the Benghazi consulate, to ensure that they are "adequately protected."
"Flashing Red" was the final joint investigation by Collins and Leiberman, who is slated to retire on Jan. 2.
'Inconsistent' statements from the administration
As for the controversy over what the administration knew about the attack — and when — the report said officials in the State Department and the intelligence community were "inconsistent" in stating that the deaths in Benghazi were the result of a terrorist attack.
The candidacy of Ambassador Susan Rice to the post of Secretary of State was scuppered after allegations by Republican lawmakers that she misled the public about the attacks during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sept. 16.
The administration said Rice, the current U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was repeating talking points provided by the intelligence community when she initially characterized the Sept. 11 assault as a spur-of-the-moment response to a crude, anti-Muslim film.
In her interview, Rice said that "what happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo, almost a copycat of — of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video."
Independent panel: 'Systematic failures' within State Department
In a letter to President Obama on Dec. 13 withdrawing her candidacy for the top diplomatic post, Rice said she wanted to avoid a "very prolonged, very politicized, very distracting and very disruptive" confirmation process.
For its part, the congressional report said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had offered to provide the committee with a detailed timeline regarding the development of the intelligence community's talking points on Benghazi. "At the time of writing this report, despite repeated requests, the committee had yet to receive this timeline," the report notes.
More content from NBCNews.com:
Leave a Comment:
.
I agree.
This is "amazing"...MSN doesn't even have this story on their homepage anymore...MSN, do you really have to be SO biased???
Report lambastes security at US Consulate in Benghazi
GOP CONTINUES TO HIDE THE TRUTH...
House Republican's Killed Funding To Protect Ambassador Stevens
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) acknowledged that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majority in 2010. - http://tinyurl.com/96htgau
UNTRUE!
The funding cuts had nothing to do with security ... ask yourself, where were the Marines who should have been guarding the facility? --- they were not a part of any funding for the embassy, they come from the military budget.
Budget cuts had nothing to do with securing this consulate; we had available resources to defend and protect our people...we are just unfortunate enough to have a President (and Secretary of State) who doesn't (don't)know how to use those resources.
"oh man, looks like I'll have to sing and smirk a little more. This can't help my lovin' poll numbers, better do something about this fiscal thing until I get my own investigation results of myself back and I can blame it on the weather or something..."
I have yet to see consulates defended like fortress. Its just not normal practice. They are alway soft targets. Embassies on the other hand are defended like fortresses.
Plus the libyan government didn't allow private security teams in they tend to abuse the citizenry.
Bubba Nav, get over it. A dozen attacks, cries and letters for support gone ignored, even the Red Cross and the Brittish getting the hell out, and that fine 7 hours of watching the entire event on television without lifting a finger to help. There is no defending the incompetent Hillary or Obama on this murder train.
Red Neck gofigureit, apparently you don't know how the real world works.
"Red Neck", that was the best you could do? Oh my. You aren't even worth an insult reply. I feel kind of sorry for you. "How the real world works"? In the real world heads would roll from the top down. But not in obamas shiftless world.
A blind man could read that there were security issues. Now who called for the "stand down" and who made the decision to "Watergate" the American public... really does anyone REALLY believe that the long standing You Tube story is palusible? Obama's and Clinton's way of saying "The check is in the mail".... right!!!!!!
Lambasted! Wow, what a word. Now we are getting somewhere. That is just as about as far as anyone is going with this. Those people died for nothing and nobody will be held accountable and nothing will be done, well I can't say that. Obama did make man of the year.
So did Hitler, Stalin and Charles Manson.
Don't you trust the president and his head of state. They say it was a demonstration, not an outright attack and that there was no reason to beef up security for those poor people What scoundrels
So what's going on with msnbc? Why are they hating on Hillary? I've noticed that over the past few days no story about her isn't forwarded or followed by a story about her failure in Benghazi..... think about it. today i see "Report lambastes security at US Consulate in Benghazi". Reminding me of her failure in Libya. The I read "Hillary Clinton being treated for blood clot". This telling me she is in poor health. ah the psychology of the left. cut throat evil people dem are
Music man. You got that right. The only reason they would hesitate would be Hillary having incriminating evidence against them.
Yes Obama is black and the Republicans can't stand it. When LBJ signed the CIVIL RIGHTS ACT he said "There goes the South for the next fifty years". He underestimated it by at least ten. Maybe when the ex southern [Now TEABAGGERS with AK's] Democrats can go back to lynching anyone they want for Friday nights entertainment they will finally get the boil on their arse lanced and go back to their trailer park FOX news.
For now obstructing and laying blame does not seem satisfying enough does it. Just come out and say you hate black people especially Obama as he has the gall to be educated and your president.
Lieberman is a snake in the grass. Always has been always will be.
Is Obama really black? Or is he white? Or is he a little of both? I DON'T CARE WHAT COLOR HE IS!! He's an ineffective leader put in charge of something he doesn't understand. He's not prepared to make effective decisions, and does nothing to put himself in better position to do so. He watched while 4 Americans died needlessly and then conspired to cover it up. He's not a POTUS...just a POS
Affirmative Action, race norming, racial preference negroes are such putzes.
The race of the president, even if I was the head of the KKK, is about 20th on the list of reasons not to find him credible, useful or competent. The man is a blithering idiot, whose only claim to fame is getting the entitlement vote "organized".
Can't fix the big problems at home, but there's always time to conduct irrelevant hearing and issue useless reports on issues that are long past retaliation. Congress listen up, nobody gives a damn what you think because you're absolutely ineffective and totally useless.
Well, Cliff...I care. I care that 4 Americans were murdered while the Prez & co watched the whole event on TV and didn't do a thing to help...I care a lot.
I'll side with Mike on this one.
A lot of people care and some people just want to cover their guys ass.
Yeah, and some wannabe negro in the White House will blame it all on other
people. That's what the half-assed negro does; he never accepts responsibility.
He has achieved his stupid goal, and that is to be just like an American negro.
He like all negroes is so full of bleep that he can't even see.
You are an ass-clown racist.
I hate Obama ,,,,,,, but for none of the same reasons you do.
MC Gusto
BULL**** you teabaggers wake up in the morning about Obama being black. Then it's just a matter of finding whatever and proceeding with your disguised outrage. You have been doing this over and over since he was elected.
It is so obvious and you people think the rest of us are suckers enough to not see it. What a joke
I do not understand why the United States can't have a company or squad of marines with full battle gear and enough weaponry to defend our embassies all over the world. If we are in a country who hates us so much, get out and cut off ALL funding for that country, so they can fend for themselves. They who hate us can just go to hell for all I care. I'm really tired of our weak leadership here in America. The U.S. is heading for third world status. We all need a new great leader to emerge soon. God help us all.
Libya has never been a safe country and this ambassador knew full well of the danger.He chose to go there and our ignorant government chose to have an embassy there.We shouldn't have an embassy in Libya in the first place.We can't safeguard people in this country let alone try to do so in countries that are riff with terrorist zealots.What a waste of our tax dollars investigating what happened when the U.S. knew that security is lax at most of our embassy's.It just so happen that the zealots chose this one to attack an ambassador at.
So you discount everything written in this report. You think he signed up to work in a warzone with no one guarding him.
I'm assuming nobody remembers the low-budget anti muslim movie that the administration wanted to surpress at that time. So they blamed the attack on "muslim outrage" over the movie.
So the democrats have the intense urge to sensor what we read, hear on the radio and watch on TV or in the movies. Coupled by a cavalier attitude regarding the lives of Americans, that leaves us with increasingly less and less respect in various foreign countries.
A responsible president would make (any) other nations pay and pay dearly when they failed to protect the lives of Americans anywhere and anytime they want to travel. Just once I'd like to see an instantaneous and horrific response carried out. Preferably in advance of deadly attacks. As opposed to TAKING NO ACTION AT ALL. Sadly, the rest of the world does not understand or respect our hard on for political correctness.
What about we flatten most of the Muslim world, systematically (no nukes needed) and devastatingly and blame it on a few hard liners in the military? Just start at one edge of the rotating cluster flack of Islam, and carpet bomb to the other.
Where is that paid political hack, Fiesty Red Head?? Why isn't she defending her boy?
Waiting for the Government check? Or, it's a paid Holiday from NBC for him/her?
The NOBAMA Regime, His Czars and other of his Cronies Including the Hildabeast knew what was going on
They had the Intelligence reports, The Assets on the Ground in Benghazi and were up to date in Real Time while it was happening... 2 of the "Security Force" that were Killed were Navy Seals that were not attached to the Embassy. They knew what was happening and took it upon themselves to try to help Evacuate the Ambassador Because it was the Right Thing to Do! Now according to the State Dept and Mr NOBAMA these 2 Hero's were stationed at the Embassy... What a load of crud! There should be people Jailed for the Total Disregard and Pitiful Lack of Security... Wasn't it Convenient that the Hildabeast fainted and fell down and got a concussion the week before she was scheduled to Testify before Congress about all this...
I think that all Polititions should serve 2 terms 1 term in Office and 1 Term in JAIL!
Chris Stevens is doing FINE.
The Security in Libya is just fine.
Ba-bump!
What was that?!!
Ambassador Stevens.
obviously a cia operation gone south,Stevens and the counsolate were a beard for covert ops. As often when cia operatives get caught in a tight spot they get themselves out the best they can.Potus watched in real time and was certainly advised NOT to walk into an ambush,which this likely was, given it was 9/11 and the heavily armed and coordinated nature of the attack.Not wanting to give the enemy another "black hawk down" victory a stand down order was given to minimize losses .Since the attack there has been much spin .
Why was this not reported when All The News Media Knew - Prior To The Elections? {:-(}
Harry Truman had a sign in the Oval Office: "The Buck Stops Here".
You know, leadership, taking responsibility, that sort of thing.
Obviously, Barry Hussein is unfamiliar with that concept.