The U.S. House of Representatives’ Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a report on Friday titled, “Investigative Report on the Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Facilities in Benghazi, Libya, September 11-12, 2012.” Led by Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Ranking Member C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), the report concluded that no intelligence occurred prior to the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, no stand-down order on the part of the CIA for officers who attempted to assist those at the building, and contradictory intelligence regarding who and what had precipitated the violence. That last point was immediately contentious following the consular attack, sparking a vehement debate over whether the cause was a planned terrorist attack or a sudden response to a viral video on YouTube called Innocence of Muslims.
While the report did find a “flawed” process for determining then-U.N. ambassador Susan Rice’s talking points, other conspiracies such as the CIA base being a cover-up for a covert operation sending weapons from Libya to Syria were found to have no basis. Despite the report coming out of a Republican-led committee in the House of Representatives, some Republicans have come out against the report, in certain cases using choice words to describe the accuracy of the findings.
Will this report end the debate over Benghazi? Now that the House has released this investigative report, what actions should be taken to secure embassies and personnel abroad?
Guests:
Greg Miller, National Security Reporter, The Washington Post