Top House Republican Rips Obama On Libya, Demands Answers

“Americans remain concerned and frustrated about how your Administration has handled the response to the attack,” the House speaker writes in a letter.

Image by Yuri Gripas / Reuters

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Speaker John Boehner Thursday slammed President Obama’s handling of the Sept. 11 attack in Libya, demanding a raft of new information, including why requests for additional security were denied by the State Department.

“The national debate since the tragedy … demonstrates many Americans remain concerned and frustrated about how your Administration has handled the response to the attack,” Boehner wrote in a letter to Obama released by his office Thursday afternoon.

Boehner added, “The new information in the public domain is also deeply troubling to many House Members who attended an interagency briefing in September, as there are perceived inconsistencies between what they learned during the briefing and the now widely available documentation regarding what was known at the time of the attack.”

In the letter, Boehner poses questions regarding the administration’s understanding of the security situation in Benghazi, Libya, prior to the attack, as well as information it received about the reason for the attack immediately after.

Boehner also expresses concern about security at the consulate after the attack. CNN found Ambassador Chris Stevens’ diary at the site, prompting a rebuke from the State Department.

“Many Americans are frustrated and alarmed to read news that agencies appear to have better access to the site of the attack and to individuals of interest than the Administration,” Boehner wrote.

Republicans have widely criticized the administration for its failure to prevent the attack in Benghazi and its actions since, and have attempted to place the preponderance of blame on Obama. Both Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have publicly accepted responsibility for the attacks.

See the full text of the letter from Boehner, below:

Via: Rebecca Berg