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McCaul Releases Statement on New Benghazi Report

February 7, 2014

McCaul Releases Statement on New Benghazi Report

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, following the House Foreign Affairs Committee release of a new report on the lack of State Deparment Accountability for the Benghazi attacks, Congressman Michael McCaul, who represents Texas’ 10th Congressional district and serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement.

McCaul: “The Foreign Affairs Committee's report is yet more evidence of the failures of the Administration to make sound security judgments and reveals a flawed investigation by the Accountability Review Board, (ARB) which actually held no one accountable and lacked any true independence. Seventeen months after the Benghazi terrorist attack, no one in the State Department has been meaningfully disciplined for failures which resulted in a woefully inadequate security posture at our Special Mission Compound. Nor have the terrorists who carried out the attack been brought to justice."

"I am especially troubled by the scathing review of Under Secretary Patrick Kennedy's handling of security decisions before September 11, 2012. Despite mounting attacks on Western targets and numerous cables from key individuals alerting him to our inability to withstand a coordinated attack, Under Secretary Kennedy - who not only escaped any warranted scrutiny by the ARB, but even had a role in selecting the ARB's members- actually scaled back critical security resources, endangering our diplomats. These findings are corroborated by the Senate Intelligence Committee report."

"There must be justice for the victims, and Secretary Kerry should heed the advice of today's report and hold Under Secretary Kennedy accountable for his disastrous decisions. If he will not, Congress will.”

The full report can be found HERE.

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