Speaker Boehner asks Obama for answers on Libya

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 26: Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) holds his weekly news conference in the Visitors Center at the U.S. Capitol July 26, 2012 in Washington, DC. Speaker Boehner has yet to announce whether he will support budget stopgap measures and let the next Congress handle the annual spending bills that fund the day-to-day operations of the government or try to work them through the House after the summer recess. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) / Chip Somodevilla

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent a letter to President Obama today asking for answers about the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Boehner said the Obama administration's explanation in the aftermath of the attack that killed four Americans contradicted records that are becoming public.

"In the absence of your direct engagement to clarify these concerns," Boehner wrote, "the public's frustration and confusion is likely to discredit efforts to achieve our shared goals of justice and accountability...."

Boehner pointed to new information unearthed in recent days and weeks. He says it is "clear" that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, one of the four killed in the attack, was concerned about security and that it is "clear that information now in the public domain contradicts" the administration's initial explanation that the attack was "spontaneous" and the result of an anti-Muslim film.

Boehner was referring, in part, to recently released State Department emails from during the attack describing the event. One email said "approximately 20 armed people fired shots; explosions have been heard as well." Another said Islamic militant group "Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibilty for Benghazi Attack."

Boehner asked the president to provide answers regarding the last time he was briefed by Ambassador Stevens and if he was made aware that U.S. military support was offered during or immediately after to counter the assault. In the letter, Boehner asked how he is going to "handle the detainment and interviews of persons of interest" and if the president would respond "unilaterally."

Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee also sent a letter to the president today asking for clarification.

Hillary Clinton urges caution on newly released emails detailing Libya attack

Meanwhile, not all Republicans are criticizing the Obama administration. In an interview with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Wednesday, former Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, said under the "fog of war" there is a lot of "competing information coming in." She said people should hold off making judgments until all the information has been gathered.

"When things are unfolding very, very quickly, it's not always easy to know what's going on on the ground," Rice said. "It's easy to try and jump to conclusions about what might have happened here it's probably better to let the relevant bodies do their work."

When asked for response, the White House declined to respond. The FBI and the State Department's Accountability Review Board are two of the investigative arms of the government investigating the attack and the administration's response.

[myron3rd]

anybody notice the bolshevik islamonazi sympathizers can't help but obfuscate?

[myron3rd]

I meant 'You idiots'!

[md54032]

These brave Navy SEALS that went to the embassy to assist and save the lives of 30 who were under attack at the Benghazi Embassy should be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. They truely went "above and beyond the call of duty" and lost their own lives while being ignored by this coward of a so-called "commander-in-cheif". Why won't he just admit his foolish mistake instead of lying to the American people by blaming a silly movie. It was 9-11...common sense should have had all in they White House on high alert.

[myron3rd]

yep ovomit was watching it in real time

[kytelady-2009]

Of course there will be no answers from Obama, he just wanted to rest up to go to Las Vegas, nevermind protecting our embassy.

What I want to know is WHO GAVE THE ORDER TO THE CIA TO STAND DOWN AND NOT PROTECT OUR PEOPLE?

It is a good thing that a CIA former-SEAL disobeyed the order and got as many out as he could. There would have been a bigger death toll. The person who gave the order should be held as an accessory to murder IMO.

[xtriadx]

"When asked for response, the White House declined to respond."

Whenever an issue cannot be used to make Obama look good or they cannot blame someone else without being laughed at..they "decline to respond"



All sorts of things going on with this scandal but the most notable is the very first
"Spontaneous reaction from an ongoing protest about a youtube video"
There was never a protest to begin with.....nobody spontaneously reacts with a organized assault supported by Mortars....nothing supports they attacked because of the video(other then the WH claims)

IOW they constructed a baseless story and ran with it for 2+weeks and when confronted with what they did..."WH declines to comment"

[xtriadx]

..and while the actions of this administration are bad enough..whats worse is that for almost 3 weeks most of the US media did absolutely nothing but repeat verbatim what the WH told them.

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

Please tell me how if the Whitehouse said that it was a planned attack those 4 people would still be alive? The final outcome would have been the same!

[nearl451]

Who wants answers again?

Gee just read all the pages that were released by your oversight chairman and find out who all the Libyan informants are.

You'll find your answers. I know what happened as well as Boehner does.

Late to the table but still willing to milk AMerican deaths into political advantage.

[myron3rd]

'to milk' ????? you idiots Did Roosevelt 'milk' Pearl Harbor?

[mikesfilms]

He should shut up. He's a stooge of the Teas and has no backbone of his own. Teapubs: you voted the worst candidate to defeat Obama You had Paul, Santorum, Gingrich, etc but you picked a loser who won't show his offshore accounts and tax reports. Cause he outsources jobs and Cos. to China? You allowed his money smash party democracy. He savages the 47% for "paying no taxes." A liar? Yes, Newt Gingrich.

[eroteme2]

Sorry, Boehner, there will be no answers from Obama.

[hillzhaveays]

tafhdyd says:
"In the absence of your direct engagement to clarify these concerns," Boehner wrote, "the public's frustration and confusion is likely to discredit efforts to achieve our shared goals of justice and accountability...."

President Obama should put Boehners name at the top of the letter, sign it, hand it back to him and say I was thinking the very same thing about you and your bi-partisan cooperation solving the nations problems.
_____________________________________________________
You should look up compromise in the dictionary sometime. It'll educate you. And it is the Democrats and their Idealism that are refusing to compromise.

Predictably, as a lib, you accuse the other side of your own party's failing and behavior. The dems have shown countless times that they are unwilling to negotiate, instead fomenting class warfare, trying to conjure up fear and hate to push their items through.

If you want to compromise, you don't propose legislation that is verbatim that which the other side has already said they won't approve. Proposing what they've said they oppose is simply a marketing ploy which most intelligent adults can see through. Don't know why you can't.

[Mike239239]

I guess that is why the republicans have used a record number of filibuters since 2008 - it is there idea of comprimise

[tafhdyd]

HILLZ....Check the meaning of sole objective, number one priority etc. as in our sole objective is be make sure the black guy is a one term president and then tell me about compromise.

[fiberglass3]

Boehner - Shouldn't you be looking for Romneys taxes?