By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, June 28, 2016, US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) discussed the Select Committee on Benghazi’s findings during a Capitol Hill news conference announcing the release of the committee report.
The Select Committee on Benghazi released its 800 page report on Tuesday. The report reveals a clearer picture about the government’s handling of the attacks and their aftermath including, Republicans claim, a coordinated effort to mislead the American public about the nature of the attacks.
Congresswoman Roby (R-Ala), a member of the Select Committee of Benghazi, said at the Capitol Hill news conference announcing the report: “I want to first say that I am proud of this report, and I’m proud of the professional manner in which the Committee has conducted this investigation. I want to thank Chairman Gowdy for his leadership.”
Rep. Roby continued, “This investigation has uncovered a ton of new information, which leads to a much greater understanding of the events before, during, and after the terrorist attack in Benghazi. While our guys were on the ground taking gunfire and mortar attacks, Washington was moving at a snail’s pace.”
The conservative Alabama Congresswoman charged that: “In Washington, the Administration was more concerned about diplomatic sensitivities with the Libyans and promoting its policy agenda as successful, than it was about the safety of the Americans it sent there.”
Rep. Roby told reporters, “At the end of the day, no military assets directed by Washington ever moved toward Benghazi. The bottom line is that Washington failed to have our guy’s back when they needed it. From my perspective, this lack of urgency demonstrates either incompetence or indifference, or both. And – we know now – that but for the bravery of a few Americans and the unexpected response of Quadifi’s underground militia, there would have been an even greater loss of American life that night.”
Rep. Roby said, “In this case, the American government failed its people and lied to the public in the aftermath. This is unacceptable, and I know that our report shines a bright light on these events so we can prevent this from ever happening again.”
Chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi Trey Gowdy (R-Carolina) said, “Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were heroes who gave their lives in service to our country. Their bravery and the courageous actions of so many others on the ground that night should be honored.”
Chairman Gowdy continued, “When the Select Committee was formed, I promised to conduct this investigation in a manner worthy of the American people’s respect, and worthy of the memory of those who died. That is exactly what my colleagues and I have done. “Now, I simply ask the American people to read this report for themselves, look at the evidence we have collected, and reach their own conclusions. 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.”
According to original reporting by NBC News’s Andrew Rafferty, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) told reporters afterwards, “I understand that after two years and $7 million spent by the Benghazi Committee out of taxpayer funds, it had to today report it had found nothing, nothing to contradict the conclusions of the Independent Accountability Board or the conclusions of the prior, multiple earlier investigations carried out on a bipartisan basis in the Congress. I’ll leave it to others to characterize this report, but I think it’s pretty clear it’s time to move on.”
The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) released a statement announcing the publication of the final report from the Select Committee on Benghazi.
Speaker Ryan said, “Trey Gowdy and the Benghazi Committee have been working hard to get the truth for the American people. They just released their report, and I encourage you to read it for yourself.”
Speaker Ryan continued, “The report contains a significant amount of new information, about what happened before, during, and after the terrorist attack that left four of our fellow citizens dead. By interviewing more than 80 witnesses who had never before been questioned by Congress, and obtaining more than 75,000 pages of new documents, the committee was able to issue a report that finally provides answers for the families of the victims and for all Americans. It makes clear that officials in Washington failed our men and women on the ground when they were in need of help. And the report makes key recommendations for how we can prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”
Congressman Ryan said, “We must ensure that those who hold positions of responsibility do better for the men and women who serve in harm’s way.”
Congresswoman Martha Roby is in her third term in the United States Congress.
