Benghazi report leaves many unanswered questions

WASHINGTON—Dozens of reporters on Tuesday filled a studio at the U.S. Capitol, where seven House Republicans unveiled the findings of a two-year investigation into the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya. When committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., opened the floor for questions, it was clear most reporters had only one interest: the 2016 presidential race.

Gowdy repeatedly batted down efforts to lure him into talking about Hillary Clinton or assigning blame, sometimes betraying an edge of irritation. But he became emotional on the last question—the first to mention the families of the four men killed in Benghazi.

“When you meet with families in private, you hear questions that you would never hear in a press conference … incredibly personal questions,” Gowdy said, pausing as his voice cracked. “While these are four fellow Americans to us, they are sons and husbands and brothers to the people that we talked to at the very beginning and the last group I talked to—which are the families. Even though it’s not in the report, I am happy we were also able to answer some of the intimate questions that were asked by the family of those who were killed.”

With that, the press conference ended, along with the lengthy investigation into what happened before, during, and after the tragic events of Sept. 11-12, 2012, in Benghazi. The 800-page GOP report includes new facts, but Republicans blamed White House obstruction for not allowing the American people to know the full story—an apt final chapter for an investigation known more for partisan bickering than providing answers for families.

Gowdy told me he gave each of the families the opportunity to discuss the report and ask him questions. He said several did so.

Republicans interviewed 81 new witnesses and obtained more than 75,000 new documents to produce the report, which will now go before the House for a vote. Democrats released their own report on Monday and absolved Clinton, the Department of Defense, and other federal officials of any missteps.

Among the new GOP revelations, the report details a two-hour emergency meeting headed by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough the night of the attacks. Although the video teleconference was designed to focus on rescue efforts, a chunk of it was spent discussing what happened and why, as well as State Department concerns about whether Marine rescuers should wear uniforms or not (to avoid offending Libyans). A military commander told the committee a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) sat on a plane in Spain for three hours—and changed in and out of uniform four times.

“Our committee’s insistence on additional information about the military’s response to the Benghazi attacks was met with strong opposition from the Defense Department, and now we know why,” said Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala.

Nearly eight hours after an attack on the special mission compound killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith, a mortar attack killed Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty at a nearby CIA facility. No one had deployed to Benghazi, “despite President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s clear orders to deploy military assets,” according to the report.

“If the mortar had happened at 7:15, or 9:15, or 11:15, the result would have been the same,” Gowdy said. “Nothing was ever coming to Benghazi.”

Perhaps most surprising, the committee found that it was not, as previously reported, a local militia that rescued the remaining 35 Americans. Their rescuers were actually members of the “Libyan Military Intelligence,” officers of ousted dictator Muammar Qaddafi—whose government the U.S. helped topple the previous year.

Other findings include: An imminent visit from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—during which she planned to make the Benghazi post permanent—is what caused U.S. personnel to remain in the city long after security had deteriorated. Internal emails show State Department officials thought then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice was “off the reservation” when she blamed an obscure YouTube video for the attacks. And Clinton’s chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, exerted influence over State’s Accountability Review Board process, membership, and report, which was supposed to be independent.

Clinton’s campaign derided the Republican report as a partisan inquisition intended to hurt her presidential aspirations.

“The Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee are finishing their work in the same, partisan way that we’ve seen from them since the beginning,” campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement. He complained that some members of the media had portions of the report before minority Democrats did.

During the GOP press conference, Gowdy adamantly refused to draw conclusions and chided journalists to read the report. But two of his fellow Republicans did draw conclusions in a 51-page addendum titled “additional views.” Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., painted the political picture at the time of the attacks and said administration actions were driven by political concerns.

Despite the new information presented in the report, it is unlikely to dramatically change what most Americans think about Benghazi—or how they plan to vote.

Gowdy urged all Americans to read the full report and draw conclusions for themselves, in part to honor the memory of those who died in service to their country: “You can read this report in less time than our fellow citizens were taking fire and fighting for their lives on the rooftops and in the streets of Benghazi.”