The Security Failures of Benghazi

Last Wednesday, my colleagues on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and I questioned top State Department officials regarding the assault in Libya on September 11th. Four American lives, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were senselessly lost in an attack on our consulate in Benghazi. Recent documents revealed top officials at the State Department knew of the escalating danger in Libya yet did not act on this information. Stevens himself wrote a letter requesting the State Department to heighten the security at the mission. The government has a duty to protect its citizens and when they failed to respond, Ambassador Stevens and three diplomats paid the price.

CLICK HERE to see the op-ed I wrote on the hearing for The Hill's Congress Blog.

I asked in this hearing why bureaucratic red tape and a chain of command should take precedence in matters of life and death. I asked the tough questions because this cannot happen again. In my closing remarks, I urged our State Department to take a more proactive stance and project more strength. This is not a partisan issue; it is an issue of national security at home and abroad. I urge the Administration to ensure the senseless loss of life will not happen again.

ICYMI - CLICK HERE to view my America's News HQ interview on the Administration's misinformation on the terrorist attack in Benghazi.