Friday, December 13, 2013

McKeon Statement on DoD Denial of Vital Benghazi Oversight Information

WASHINGTON- Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today released a letter from The Honorable Elizabeth King, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. The letter (below) responds to Chairman McKeon's April 17th request to Secretary Hagel, that the Department of Defense provide a classified timeline of the events that transpired on September 11-12, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya. In her response, Assistant Secretary King denied the Chairman's request, pointed out that an unclassified timeline has been released, and asserted that no formal classified timeline exists. Chairman McKeon made the following statement in response:

“As Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I believe that I have an obligation to provide robust oversight of the administration’s conduct in matters of national security. This is a responsibility that I take very seriously and the Committee’s oversight of the terrorist attack in Benghazi is no exception. I am well aware of the unclassified interagency timeline Ms. King refers to in her letter. I find it insufficient, which is why I requested additional information from the Department of Defense. DoD's explanation that no further information is available is equally insufficient and unacceptable. "

"The Department has been generally cooperative with this committee in getting to the bottom of what went wrong in Benghazi. They have supported a number of classified and unclassified exchanges with Members and staff. That does not mean that the process now comes to an end, or that the wealth of potential information has been exhausted. I am deeply disappointed in the Department’s response and am committed to continuing the Armed Services Committee's oversight into the tragedy at Benghazi."


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