By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Congresswoman Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery said that important questions still remain about the Obama Administration’s response to the September 11th terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya and that she supported efforts by House Speaker John Boehner (R) from Ohio to seek answers about what the Administration knew about a terrorist threat, whether the security personnel presence was sufficient and why statements about the attack by top Administration officials were contradictory to what we presently understand to be the truth.
Rep. Roby said, “Speaker Boehner is right to press President Obama for answers on what really went on inside his Administration in the wake of the Benghazi attack, and I appreciate his leadership on the matter,” Rep. Roby said. “It seems the more we learn about what truly happened in Benghazi, the more suspect the Administration’s statements in the days and weeks after the attacks become. The emails obtained by Reuters raise serious questions, and the American people deserve answers.”
Rep. Roby asked, “Why did the Administration so forcefully try to convince Americans this attack was a protest of an internet video? The White House seemed eager to answer questions about the attack in the immediate aftermath, attempting to drive a narrative with the news media. Now that their narrative has been proven false, the answers are less forthcoming. But why was it so important to blame the video in the first place?”
Congresswoman Roby concluded, “This was a horrific attack that cost four Americans, including our ambassador, their lives. The victims, their families and the American people deserve more than election year spin about why the White House acted the way it did.”
In his letter to President Barack H. Obama (D), Speaker Boehner wrote, “The American public is increasingly reading information contradicting early accounts by your Administration of the causes of the events of the day.” Speaker Boehner wrote, “The new information in the public domain is also deeply troubling to many House Members who attended an interagency briefing in September, as there are perceived inconsistencies between what they learned during the briefing and the now widely available documentation regarding what was known at the time of the attack.”
Specifically Boehner asked, “It is clear from publicly-available information that Ambassador Stevens and our personnel on the ground in Libya had significant concerns about security in Benghazi and around the consulate…… When was the last time you were briefed by Ambassador Stevens about the evolving security and political situation in Libya? Did he make any direct observations or raise any concerns to you or your staff about the security situation in country?”
Speaker Boehner also asked, “There are reports that military options and assets were offered to and considered by the White House during and in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack. Can you explain what options were presented to you or your staff, and why it appears assets were not allowed to be pre-positioned, let alone utilized?” “It is clear that information now in the public domain contradicts how you and senior Administration officials consistently described the cause and nature of the terrorist attack in the days and weeks immediately following. Why did the Administration fail to account for facts that were known at the time?”
Congresswoman Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
