By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Thursday, February 27, 2014 Representative Bradley Byrne (R) from Montrose announced that he has cosponsored House Resolution 36 to establish a House select Committee with the sole purpose of investigating the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Rep. Byrne said in a written statement, “The American people deserve answers to what happened at our consulate in Benghazi the night of September 11, 2012. The Administration has not clearly established what went wrong, nor have they defined steps to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.”
Rep. Byrne continued, “It’s clear the Administration just wants this story to go away. By now, the President and his allies have changed their tune so many times it’s hard to keep track of what the story is anymore. I believe the Administration has a greater responsibility to this country than simple political convenience. That’s why I’m standing up to demand answers on behalf of the American people. I call on the President to work with us to get to the bottom of this issue and ensure our diplomatic corps are safe from harm when in the line of duty.”
On September 11, 2012, our consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked and four Americans including our ambassador to Libya were killed. We now know that the Benghazi attack was coordinated by international terrorists who are still at large; but at the time some in the Obama administration, including our Ambassador to the United Nations (Susan Rice), claimed that the attack was a spontaneous popular response to an obscure anti-Islamic movie.
Some in Congress suspect that that story was part of an intentional disinformation campaign to mislead the public in the weeks approaching the Presidential election. There are also questions about whether or not pleas from the Consulate for greater security were ignored and why the U.S. Military was not able (or allowed) to aid the Americans at the besieged consulate. The so-called Benghazi scandal has never really registered with the American people and has largely been ignored by mainstream media outlets, with the exception of Fox News.
Much of the investigation into Benghazi was largely been turned over to the U.S. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, which was then chaired by Representative Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery. The Committee’s report found more troubling question about what happened and why administration officials appeared to cover up the details until after President Obama’s re-election.
Congressman Bradly Byrne has represented the First Congressional District since a special election in December put him in Congress. He is seeking a full term in the November general election.
