Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated on Monday that she is responsible for the security of American diplomatic outposts. The comments by Clinton were made in response to the political firestorm that has surrounded the attack on the Benghazi, Libya US Consulate on September 11.
Clinton stated during a visit to Peru that she “take[s] responsibility” for the protection of US diplomats, but added that an investigation is currently under way that will ultimately determine exactly what happened during the attack that killed four Americans last month, according to CNN .
The September 11 attack in Benghazi killed US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, as well as three other Americans. The Obama administration has been frequently and heavily criticized for the lack of security around the US Consulate in Libya.
Vice President Joe Biden has also come under fire after last week’s vice presidential debate, in which he stated that the White House did not know about requests for enhanced security in Benghazi. Following the debate, the White House stated that the vice president did not know about the requests, since they are handled by the State Department.
Hillary Clinton also added that President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden are not involved in security decisions for American diplomatic posts, stating, “I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha.”
Clinton also spoke with CBS News on Monday about the attack in Benghazi, stating:
“Nobody wants to get answers more than I do. These were people who I care deeply about. I knew Chris Stevens. I asked him personally to be in Benghazi during the revolution. I personally nominated him to be ambassador because I couldn’t think of a better person to represent the United States: Somebody who understood what was at stake for Libya what was at stake for US. I saw how those revolutions could be so positive or hijacked. He understood that. He was instrumental in working with Libyans. I care deeply about what happened that night.”
The State Department and the Obama administration have both come under heavy criticism by Republicans, who say that security at the Benghazi consulate was lacking and that pleas for more security were ignored. They have also been scrutinized for saying that the attack was because of an anti-Islamic movie trailer that was broadcast to the world on YouTube, then later admitting that it was a pre-planned attack.
Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and White House officials have defended this information, saying that details about the attack are still coming to light. Clinton told reporters last week that “there is much we still don’t know and I am the first to say that.”
Do you think that we should blame Hillary Clinton instead of President Obama for the lack of security at the US Consulate in Benghazi?