The Latest: Hillary Clinton says ambassador pushed for permanent US presence in Benghazi, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says former US Ambassador Chris Stevens pushed for a permanent U.S. presence in Benghazi, Libya.
Stevens was based hundreds of miles away in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Clinton says he thought it was important to maintain a presence in eastern Libya, where there had been an uprising against former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The CIA also wanted a site in Benghazi.
"He was a very strong advocate for staying in Libya, including Benghazi," Clinton said of Stevens.
Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the September 2012 attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi.Tempers are flaring at the House Benghazi committee hearing.
The chairman — Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina — was questioning Hillary Rodham Clinton about emails she received while secretary of state, from a family friend who once worked for President Bill Clinton.
The friend, Sidney Blumenthal, emailed Hillary Clinton frequently about Libya.
The line of questioning led the committee's top Democrat — Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland — to accuse Gowdy of unfairly attacking Hillary Clinton and mischaracterizing Blumenthal's emails.
Cummings demanded that Gowdy release a committee transcript of a closed-door interview with Blumenthal.
Gowdy refused. Then the committee leaders began shouting at each other. A bemused Clinton looked on.
The shouting went on for several minutes. Then the hearing abruptly adjourned for lunch, after more than three hours of testimony.
And Gowdy says he's not done with questions about Blumenthal.The White House says it hopes the House Benghazi committee's hearing will bring finality to the issue.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz says President Barack Obama didn't have specific plans to watch the hearing. But the spokesman says Hillary Rodham Clinton's testimony is a reminder of why Obama chose her to be secretary of state.
Schultz says Clinton is committed to the safety and security of Americans serving in diplomatic posts, and he says she's someone who takes responsibility when something goes wrong.Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is accusing Hillary Rodham Clinton of not telling the American people that terrorists were responsible for attacking the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya.
The Ohio lawmaker suggests Clinton was motivated to portray Libya as a success story for the Obama administration — and the attacks came only 56 days before voters were to decide whether to re-elect President Barack Obama.
Jordan is citing Clinton's public statement after the 2012 incident — the statement said some people believed the attack came in response to an anti-Muslim video that prompted a protest at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
Jordan has produced copies of emails Clinton wrote her family, saying it was a terrorist attack by an al-Qaida-like group.
Jordan notes she also told Egypt's prime minister that she knew the Benghazi attack had nothing to do with the film — that it was a planned terrorist strike.
Clinton disagrees with Jordan's portrayal of what happened and is defending her actions. She says there was much conflicting intelligence in the fast-moving aftermath.
Stevens was based hundreds of miles away in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Clinton says he thought it was important to maintain a presence in eastern Libya, where there had been an uprising against former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The CIA also wanted a site in Benghazi."He was a very strong advocate for staying in Libya, including Benghazi," Clinton said of Stevens.
Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the September 2012 attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi.Tempers are flaring at the House Benghazi committee hearing.
The chairman — Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina — was questioning Hillary Rodham Clinton about emails she received while secretary of state, from a family friend who once worked for President Bill Clinton.
The friend, Sidney Blumenthal, emailed Hillary Clinton frequently about Libya.
The line of questioning led the committee's top Democrat — Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland — to accuse Gowdy of unfairly attacking Hillary Clinton and mischaracterizing Blumenthal's emails.
Cummings demanded that Gowdy release a committee transcript of a closed-door interview with Blumenthal.
Gowdy refused. Then the committee leaders began shouting at each other. A bemused Clinton looked on.
The shouting went on for several minutes. Then the hearing abruptly adjourned for lunch, after more than three hours of testimony.
And Gowdy says he's not done with questions about Blumenthal.The White House says it hopes the House Benghazi committee's hearing will bring finality to the issue.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz says President Barack Obama didn't have specific plans to watch the hearing. But the spokesman says Hillary Rodham Clinton's testimony is a reminder of why Obama chose her to be secretary of state.
Schultz says Clinton is committed to the safety and security of Americans serving in diplomatic posts, and he says she's someone who takes responsibility when something goes wrong.Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is accusing Hillary Rodham Clinton of not telling the American people that terrorists were responsible for attacking the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya.
The Ohio lawmaker suggests Clinton was motivated to portray Libya as a success story for the Obama administration — and the attacks came only 56 days before voters were to decide whether to re-elect President Barack Obama.
Jordan is citing Clinton's public statement after the 2012 incident — the statement said some people believed the attack came in response to an anti-Muslim video that prompted a protest at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
Jordan has produced copies of emails Clinton wrote her family, saying it was a terrorist attack by an al-Qaida-like group.
Jordan notes she also told Egypt's prime minister that she knew the Benghazi attack had nothing to do with the film — that it was a planned terrorist strike.
Clinton disagrees with Jordan's portrayal of what happened and is defending her actions. She says there was much conflicting intelligence in the fast-moving aftermath.
Blogger Comment
Facebook Comment