Security Failures of Benghazi
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THE SECURITY FAILURES OF BENGHAZI HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION OCTOBER 10, 2012 Serial No. 112–193 Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov http://www.house.gov/reform U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 79–871 PDF WASHINGTON : 2012 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:41 Mar 28, 2013 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\DOCS\79871.TXT APRIL COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM DARRELL E. ISSA, California, Chairman DAN BURTON, Indiana ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland, Ranking JOHN L. MICA, Florida Minority Member TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JIM JORDAN, Ohio Columbia JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio CONNIE MACK, Florida JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts TIM WALBERG, Michigan WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts JUSTIN AMASH, Michigan JIM COOPER, Tennessee ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona MIKE QUIGLEY, Illinois RAU´ L R. LABRADOR, Idaho DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee PETER WELCH, Vermont JOE WALSH, Illinois JOHN A. YARMUTH, Kentucky TREY GOWDY, South Carolina CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut DENNIS A. ROSS, Florida JACKIE SPEIER, California BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas MIKE KELLY, Pennsylvania VACANCY LAWRENCE J. BRADY, Staff Director JOHN D. CUADERES, Deputy Staff Director ROBERT BORDEN, General Counsel LINDA A. GOOD, Chief Clerk DAVID RAPALLO, Minority Staff Director (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:41 Mar 28, 2013 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\79871.TXT APRIL C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on October 10, 2012 .......................................................................... 1 WITNESSES Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Wood, Utah National Guard, U.S. Army Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 9 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 13 Mr. Eric Allan Nordstrom, Regional Security Officer, U.S. Department of State Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 16 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 19 Ms. Charlene R. Lamb, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Pro- grams, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S. Department of State Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 31 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 35 The Honorable Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of State Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 43 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 46 APPENDIX Letter from Mr. Eric A. Nordstom pertaining to a list of Security Incidents- Libya ..................................................................................................................... 108 Benghazi Weekly Report-September 11, 2012 from Amber R. Pickens, AMEmbassy Tripoli ............................................................................................. 109 Request for DS TDY and FTE Support from Carol R. Johnson, AMEmbassy Tripoli .................................................................................................................... 112 Request to add Les Ambassador Protective Detail Bodyguard Positions in U.S. Embassy Tripoli from Jairo Saravia, AMEmbassy Tripoli ....................... 115 Request for Extension of TDY Security Personnel from Eric A. Nordstrom, AMEmbassy Tripoli ............................................................................................. 117 The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings, a Member of Congress from the State of Maryland, Opening Statement ....................................................................... 120 The Honorable Michael R. Turner, a Member of Congress from the State of Ohio, Statement for the Record ...................................................................... 122 The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, a Member of Congress from the State of Virginia, Opening Statement .......................................................................... 124 Letter from the Honorable Michael C. Burgess, a Member of Congress from the State of Texas to the Honorable Barack H. Obama, President of the United States ........................................................................................................ 126 Questions from the Honorable Darrell Issa, a Member of Congress from the State of California to the Honorable Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Sec- retary for Management, U.S. Department of State and Ms. Charlene R. Lamb, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs ...................... 128 Responses to the questions sent to Patrick Kennedy and Deputy Assistant Secretary Charlene Lamb by the Honorable Patrick Meehan, a Member of Congress from the State of Pennsylvania ...................................................... 131 Questions asked to Patrick Kennedy from Rep. Kucinich .................................... 134 (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:41 Mar 28, 2013 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\79871.TXT APRIL VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:41 Mar 28, 2013 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\79871.TXT APRIL THE SECURITY FAILURES OF BENGHAZI Wednesday, October 10, 2012 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 12:05 p.m., in Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Darrell E. Issa [chair- man of the committee] presiding. Present: Representatives Issa, Burton, Jordan, Chaffetz, Lankford, Gosar, Labrador, Meehan, DesJarlais, Gowdy, Ross, Farenthold, Kelly, Cummings, Norton, Kucinich, Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Davis, and Murphy. Also Present: Representatives Rohrabacher and Adams. Staff Present: Ali Ahmad, Communications Adviser; Thomas A. Alexander, Senior Counsel; Brien A. Beattie, Professional Staff Member; Robert Borden, General Counsel; Molly Boyl, Parliamen- tarian; Lawrence J. Brady, Staff Director; Sharon Casey, Senior Assistant Clerk; John Cuaderes, Deputy Staff Director; Adam P. Fromm, Director of Member Services and Committee Operations; Linda Good, Chief Clerk; Frederick Hill, Director of Communica- tions and Senior Policy Advisor; Mitchell S. Kominsky, Counsel; Jim Lewis, Senior Policy Advisor; Mark D. Marin, Director of Over- sight; Rafael Maryahin, Counsel; Kevin Corbin, Minority Profes- sional Staff Member; Ashley Etienne, Minority Director of Commu- nications; Susanne Sachsman Grooms, Minority Counsel; Devon Hill, Minority Staff Assistant; Jennifer Hoffman, Minority Press Secretary; Carla Hultberg, Minority Chief Clerk; Peter Kenny, Mi- nority Counsel; Dave Rapallo, Minority Staff Director; Rory Sheehan, Minority New Media Press Secretary; and Carlos Uriarte, Minority Counsel. Chairman ISSA. The committee will come to order. Would you please take your seats? Perhaps most appropriately today, the Oversight Committee mis- sion statement reads: We exist to secure two fundamental prin- ciples. First, that Americans have a right to know that the money Washington takes from them is well spent. And second, Americans deserve an efficient, effective government that works for them. Our duty on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is to protect these rights. Our solemn responsibility is to hold gov- ernment accountable to taxpayers because taxpayers have a right to know what they get from their government. It is our job to work tirelessly, in partnership with citizen watchdogs, to deliver the facts to the American people and bring genuine reform to the Fed- (1) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:41 Mar 28, 2013 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\79871.TXT APRIL 2 eral bureaucracy. This is the mission of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee. On September 11th, 2012, four brave Americans serving their country were murdered by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya. Tyrone Woods spent 2 decades as a Navy SEAL, serving multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan. Since 2010, he protected the American diplo- matic personnel. Tyrone leaves behind a widow and three children. Glen Doherty, also a former SEAL, and an experienced para- medic, had served his country in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His family and colleagues grieve today for his death. Sean Smith, a communications specialist, joined the State De- partment after 6 years in the United States Air Force. Sean leaves behind a widow and two young children. Ambassador Chris Stevens, a man I had known personally dur- ing his tours, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, ventured into a volatile and dangerous situation as Libyans revolted