Government

State Department Official Refuses to Classify Libya Attackers as ‘Terrorists’

Charlene Lamb Refuses to Call Libya Attackers Terrorists

Charlene R. Lamb, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs at the U.S. Department of State, testifies on Capitol Hill as a diagram of the U.S. compound in Benghazi is displayed behind her on October 10, 2012 in Washington, DC. The hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee focused on the security situation in Benghazi leading up to the September 11 attack that resulted in the assassination of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens. (Credit: Getty Images)

During Wednesday’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) questioned Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Programs Charlene Lamb about her apparent refusal to call the people who attacked the U.S. Consulate in Libya and killed four Americans “terrorists.”

“You Miss Lamb…have described these attackers in a number of ways but you don’t mention terrorist at all. Why is that? I mean the compound had been attacked once before and breached,” Burton said. “And these people had all these weapons; projectiles, grenades, all kinds of weapons. Why would you call this anything other than a terrorist attack? And why do you call them attackers?”

“I have just presented the facts as they have come across. I am not making any judgements on my own and  I am leaving that to others,” Lamb replied, completely avoiding the question.

Watch the clip from today’s hearing:

Front page image from Getty.

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Comments (95)

  • PhineasJWhoopee
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:01pm

    This was just work place violence like Fort Hood.

    Report this comment

    PhineasJWhoopee  
    • DarkJello
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:16pm

      She is a very smart lamb. Way, way, way smarter than us sheeple. LMBO!

      Report this comment

      DarkJello  
    • PATTY HENRY
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:24pm

      I believe this is what happened in Libya : The State Dept. received ample warning; Not only did they not send MORE help when asked, those SOBS actually, arrogantly WITHDREW some support from those American Patriots who were later slaughtered because of this. The State Dept. knew that an attack was coming on 9/11/12 and trying to avoid the fall out that we’ve seen, those dopes actually began to scour the website for anything they could blame. YOUTUBE was the most obvious place. The day ‘it’ happened I looked at the YOUTUBE site and that ‘director’s reel’ or ‘trailer’ only had 34,000 views since July of this year. I looked the next day and it had over 1 M hits. They found it, they POINTED TO IT in all of their regular outlets “Al Jazeera” , local news, their informants etc. in other words: THEY FANNED THE FLAMES to ‘arrange the riots’ so as to create a cover for that SOB in the WH. OUR State Dept. lied to US, to the world. they instigated the unrest. I mean…how do thousands of muslims in EGYPT and Libya see that trailer??? . I know what I saw in the Number of views. I know this is wht happened. SHAME ON THEM!!!
      PRAY, work, PRAY MORE, and just know that Obama cannot stand next to a real PATRIOT without looking like the wastrel he is.
      YOU GUTLESS workers in the STATE DEPT…you CAREER folks take note: DISHONOR will follow you all your life. IS it worth it?

      PATTY HENRY  
    • stealthman
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:25pm

      Yea, these murderers worked really hard. They pulled off his pants, put the pants on backwards, and then sodomized him. I am guessing he was still alive when they did this. But who knows, maybe they were necromancer workers. I have given up trying to 2nd guess these Muslim savages, but they do work hard at what they do. Perhaps we should rename Al Qaeda “Men at Work”, but that might offend Australian rock bands.

      Then there are the real spontaneous workers of the world that do unite. 300 of them raped Lara Logan in unison to the cadence of “Jew, Jew, Jew”. Now that was a real spontaneous attack that the President Obie likes to describe, but they were not upset about a video. So he couldn’t tell us all when Lara was raped that the future does not belong to those who would dare to slander the Prophet. Lara did not go to Egypt to slander the Prophet. This is all so insane.

      Report this comment

      stealthman  
    • sillyfreshness
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 9:25pm

      Why would they when you have a Muslim sympathizing president.

      I would have no doubt that 30 years from now it will “come out” in our “chosen people” hijacked Marxist Media that Obama was a Muslim after all. It will on ABC World News in 2042 and some anchor will announce “and now it comes to light that 30 years after his presidency Barack Obama was a Muslim after all. He was our first black and Muslim president at the same time. And now on to the weather…”

      The “chosen people” hijacked Marxist Media are/were co-conspirators in this Marxist coup that took place. The Founding Fathers had no idea that our media would be taken over by “chosen people” from Eastern Europe and Russia in the 1880s and then use that very media as propaganda machines for Marxism.

      Report this comment

      sillyfreshness  
    • stealthman
      Posted on October 11, 2012 at 2:18am

      @sillyfreshness No, the media folks want to perfect the world because that became their new motto in the 1960s. They need to believe in Marxist principles because in such a world, the average work man is by definition good since the leanings of his heart is not evil from his youth. So they believe in the inherent goodness of man, not G-d. Now your blaming of the Jews for the fate of other Jews who don’t hold by their beliefs is also evil. Speaking of rape, your ancestors in Europe raped Jews in pogroms in successive generations. You tortured them with all kinds of human indecency in the name of your god. So they asked the real G-d, if You exist why did You allow so much pain at the hands of these Barbarians in Jewish history. So some of them rejected G-d, and chose to believe in Man. This did not happen in the Muslim world where for the most part if they accepted their Dhimmitude and paid their stupid head tax, they were allowed to live as third class human beings. So Ashkenazic Jews disproportionately chose to believe in the suffering, proletarian man. You are now reaping what your grandparents, great-grandparents, and great great grand-parents have sown. It is horrible, but these people are survivors of the deepest, longest lasting hatred in world history, and this is how they survived.

      Yet, the last time I checked, Chris Mathews was not a Jew, and most of these leftists are not. And Louis B. Mayor did not forge a deal with devil to destroy the US from withi

      Report this comment

      stealthman  
    • stealthman
      Posted on October 11, 2012 at 2:48am

      @sillyfreshness Sorry, his name was spelled Louis B. Mayer, and he was a lifetime conservative Republican. He was one of Hollywood’s founding fathers, and therefore had tremendous editorial influence over generations of Americans who watched his movies. I am trying to figure out how you would say that Louis tried to destroy America from within. Maybe it was when he had Dorothy throw water on the witch to kill her, rather than pray to G-d to destroy the witch. Or maybe it was an opportunity to show off his special effects teams. Yet, you are probably thinking the former.

      And obviously, the problem of the torture chamber for Ashkenazic Jews was in the furnace of Europe not in America, 1400- 1800 years spread throughout the Dark Continent. When you get to wherever you are going in the afterlife, you can ask your hate-filled European ancestors why they created such a legacy..

      Report this comment

      stealthman  
    • Mil-Dot
      Posted on October 11, 2012 at 10:05am

      Man, just look at the mug on that prog. I can spot a prog chick a mile away. Simply hideous.

      Report this comment

      Mil-Dot  
  • breakobamanow
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:57pm

    Psalm 40:4
    Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

    Psalm 101:7
    He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

    Proverbs 19:9
    A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

    Isaiah 28:15
    Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

    Isaiah 59:4
    None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

    Jeremiah 9:3
    And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

    Daniel 11:27
    And both of these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

    1 Timothy 4:2
    Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

    Report this comment

    breakobamanow  
    • stealthman
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:34pm

      Obamanation might pay attention if you quote the Quran. That is our mistake. We need to find statements by prophets who cry out for universal justice in the Quran for Obamanation to pay attention. And if we can’t find such statements, maybe we can make a few up.

      Report this comment

      stealthman  
    • floridareader
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:48pm

      They all will have their D-day. Sooner than later. I call it “boomerang’s law”.
      From my point of view, the debacle they are facing now in Libya is part of the consequences of their lies. One by one, the cards of the castle are falling down. And not in a good way.

      Report this comment

      floridareader  
  • Constantine Ivanov
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:57pm

    It seems rabid women are more rabid than rabid men.
    It confirms studies that say that emotions are first engine in women, not brain. Oops, sorry, dear feminists, I probably meant something different…

    Report this comment

    Constantine Ivanov  
  • Jenasus
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:56pm

    The tree of liberty needs to be cleansed in 2012.

    Report this comment

    Jenasus  
  • KangarooJack
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:55pm

    Starting Monday morning {10/15/12} you will see what rats look like fleeing from a burning ship.

    The top ones are already climbing the stairs, over the bodies of their rat friends, by Monday it’s going to be an all-out JUMP SHIP!

    Here is something the Obama Administration just can’t grasp about average Americans. See, we hear all this ‘he said/she said’ crap – but we KNOW 4 Americans were brutally killed and Obama called it “a bump in the road”.

    Report this comment

    KangarooJack  
  • soybomb315_II
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:53pm

    I dont care about symantics – lets talk about lessons learned and how this affects foreign policy in the future.

    Report this comment

    soybomb315_II  
    • leosmom
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:27pm

      It starts buy electing a leader as our President for the future! I’m convinced that Mitt Romney would protect our country far better than our current President.

      Report this comment

      leosmom  
    • soybomb315_II
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 9:58pm

      @Leosmom

      Protect us from what??? Who is going to protect me from my own government?

      “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”
      -James Madison

      Report this comment

      soybomb315_II  
  • fastfacts
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:53pm

    Sending the LAMB to the Slaughter. That was quite the House hearing.

    Did you see that when the House sent Congressman to Libya to investigate, Obama sent a lawyer to tail them??? ( http://www.thedailycandidate.com/video/2012/oct/obama_sent_attorney.html )

    Report this comment

    fastfacts  
  • SocialistSlayer
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:39pm

    Charlene R. Lamb, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs at the U.S. Department of State = Communist Pig !

    Report this comment

    SocialistSlayer  
  • momrules
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:39pm

    Remember that Obama banned the word terrorism. Apparently the attack at Bengahzi was of a man made disaster.

    http://papundits.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/obamas-newspeak-bans-terrorism/

    Report this comment

    momrules  
  • Wool-Free Vision
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:34pm

    I agree with former President George W. Bush that those who harbor, aid, and abet terrorists are part of the “axis of evil.” And by that reasoning, I conclude that Charlene Lamb, Susan Rice, and anyone else in the current administration who is knowingly obfuscating truth, blurring the lines, and mischaracterizing these perpetrators of terrorism are indeed enemies of The United States of America.

    These people are not just liars, they are traitors. It’s about time the American People get some justice.

    I am absolutely disgusted by the blatant deceit coming from within our own government. I really think it’s time to start prosecuting these evil deceivers for treason, with all that that implies. Traitors should be hanged.

    Charlene Lamb’s avoidance of the question is as good as an admission of guilt. Sidestepping the truth IS LYING. Lying about something so important IS TREASON. These people should be brought to justice NOW!

    I can barely contain the anger and frustration I feel over the way these liberal bureaucrats are deceiving the American people.

    Hang ‘em high!

    Report this comment

    Wool-Free Vision  
  • stealthman
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:34pm

    Foggy Bottom just became a very dark pit. Or perhaps the pit of evil has been under that fog all along. After today’s testimonies it is abundantly clear that career State Dept officials will by and large follow orders when the sleazy POTUS makes slandering the Prophet illegal by executive order in his 2nd term, G-d forbid. There will be some career foggy folks who will resist, but most of these folks can’t see the evil of radical Islam because in their biz, there are only interests. There is really no good and evil. Maybe that is the nature of career diplomats. Have these people become more moral since the days of Talleyrand? doubtful.

    Report this comment

    stealthman  
  • soybomb315_II
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:32pm

    Terrorism – The systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion

    Given that the rebels attacked a governmental office, they were trying to achieve a political/socio victory – not cause mass terror.

    Is anyone who uses force or threat a terrorist? I think we are muddying the water with this “terrorist” label. Lets reserve the word terrorist for people who kill civilians in order to cause fear.

    Report this comment

    soybomb315_II  
    • Wool-Free Vision
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:48pm

      Dragging an ambassador through the streets and sodomizing him to death isn’t terrorism? Soy, get your damned pacifist head out of your rectal orifice post haste!

      I don’t know why I am bothering to argue with you. You have made your lukewarm position abundantly clear through many previous posts. I guess I am hoping that you might have an epiphany and recognize your true enemies for who they are. I am not your enemy, and neither is Mitt Romney. But it is absolutely true that you have enemies who would happily drag you through the streets and sodomize you TO DEATH for speaking your mind. Your refusal to acknowledge them does not make them go away.

      Report this comment

      Wool-Free Vision  
    • stealthman
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:49pm

      Given that there was no one at the Consulate to defend the Ambassador from attack and that the Seals came to protect the Ambassador from across town, this constitutes as being an attack on a civilian target for the purpose on creating terror of Americans in diplomatic missions all over the Arab world.

      Report this comment

      stealthman  
    • LakeHartwellSailor
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:53pm

      Technically, the ex-Navy Seals, and the IT/Communications employee were civilians. The attack on the Consulate was a deliberate attempt to scare the United States out of the area.

      I think that classifies as a terrorist act.

      Report this comment

      LakeHartwellSailor  
    • FesteAinoriba
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 8:36pm

      I recall from a history lecture long ago that one of Rome’s city states rebelled and refused to pay taxes. Rome sent an ambassador to the rebel king to try to resolve the situation and the king beheaded the ambassador and had his head returned to Rome in a basket.

      Rome considered the murder of an ambassador as such an egregious and barbaric act that it sent its legions to the rebel city and killed every man, woman, child and beast inside the the city walls. Sound extreme? Maybe. But nobody ever murdered another Roman ambassador.

      Host countries have a moral, ethical, and legal imperative to secure the safety of ambassadors that they receive. Arguably, the Libyan leaders didn’t take part, but they appeared to at least have turned a blind eye and consented by failure to act. This is such a serious and barbaric act that we should give Libya’s leadership an ultimatum to identify, round up and summarily execute all the local officials who were even remotely responsible for protecting our ambassador and consulate. If they fail do comply within 15 days, we should go in with a scorched earth policy and totally annihilate the government seat and capital city of Tripoli.

      It might sound excessive, but it is the only language that barbarians understand and the principles that uphold civilization are at stake. It really is that grave of a matter.

      Treat this affront with the gravity required and the cowards might make noise, but they wouldn’t kill another USA ambas

      Report this comment

      FesteAinoriba  
    • soybomb315_II
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 10:04pm

      @Wool

      Easy on the insults. I didnt say it was right, i am just saying it isnt terrorism. When a few guys grab a girl, rape her (and “sodomize”), and kill her – would you call that terrorism?

      I didnt say anything about peace or not going after them. We could still go after them without calling them ‘terrorists’

      Report this comment

      soybomb315_II  
    • Wool-Free Vision
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 11:01pm

      Soy, this wasn’t “a few guys” getting some thrills, IT WAS A COORDINATED ATTACK. Why is it so difficult for you to understand and recognize terrorism? Or perhaps it is difficult for you to CALL it terrorism. Whatever you and this administration want to call it, the corpse of an American diplomat was paraded around the streets and sodomized BY TERRORISTS. These are not the actions of legitimate soldiers with a military goal.

      It’s so frustrating that you claim not to be concerned with semantics, yet you would split hairs over the definition of terrorism, when these actions are so obviously the epitome of terrorism.

      If “they were trying to achieve a political/socio victory” as you claim, they would have just firebombed the consulate and burned the flag.

      “Lets reserve the word terrorist for people who kill civilians in order to cause fear.” Christopher Stephens was a civilian, not a soldier. He was not wearing a uniform and was not armed. Those animals CERTAINLY terrorized HIM. They made their message abundantly clear by dragging his corpse through the streets and sodomizing it. How can anyone argue that these acts are anything BUT terrorism?

      I’m going to stop trying to reach you. You have exhausted my patience.

      Report this comment

      Wool-Free Vision  
  • lildrummerboy
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:31pm

    they won’t say terrorists..it will offend the muslims…please haven’t you caught on yet? this whole thing a subversive Muslim brotherhood playbook…

    Report this comment

    lildrummerboy  
  • Maxim Crux
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:30pm

    Where are the email correspondence that the woman said she had? I would like to see them.

    Report this comment

    Maxim Crux  
  • universalphilos
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:30pm

    Disinformation is a weapon of war –
    A prophecy, November 29, 1974: “Your country once again should repeat its own folly. It should make treaties with its enemies that shall be considered as just pieces of paper. It shall disarm itself and be made easy prey.
    Those who should come of the Anti-Christ have already made their toil upon your country. You now face your greatest hours of need. For they did not need to make war upon you to weaken you. They took from you the oil that would burn in the lamps. They took from you the wheat which would make of the bread. And yet, you stood idly by and did nothing.
    Now they stand poised and ready to poison your minds. For we should say, hark, into thee, for if the Eagle [USA] does not spread its wings and give the protection unto the land of Israel then your days of famine shall worsen. Each day shall lead into another, each becoming more desperate into the next….Prepare for the famine….
    “And so we say these words….For long ago upon your earth, one came forth in the time of depression and promised the German people a land of glory. He brought them a land of destruction and division. That this should not happen again upon the earth, act when you see the signs. Many thousands and millions of dollars are now being spent on such propaganda. Heed our words; listen not unto them. Listen unto your hearts and your souls, and the answers shall come forth in truth before all.
    Glory be the name of the Lord, our God.”

    Report this comment

    universalphilos  
  • Chromo200
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:29pm

    More lies and spin … Someday they will pay for it.

    Report this comment

    Chromo200  
  • randy
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:27pm

    America has been attacked by terrorists at least two times during Obamas Watch. #1, the Fort Hood shooting, and #2, the Embassy murders.

    Report this comment

    randy  
  • fraumj
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:26pm

    This Lamb certainly isn’t meek. She’s pretty ruthless. Considering that Benghazi is one of the most dangerous places in Libya and you have about 1 guard per 100 yards in the compound? And she says the number of security was correct (for Benghazi)? Oh my!

    Report this comment

    fraumj  
  • face.chewer
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:25pm

    We need a strong secretary of defense under Romney, someone who hates Muslims with all his being.

    Report this comment

    face.chewer  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on October 10, 2012 at 7:40pm

      Actually, someone that can discern what is going on with a clinical precision.

      The problem aren’t muslims per se, but Islam. Once you get the distinction, you can start figuring out workable solutions.

      Report this comment

      Twobyfour  
  • Rational Man
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:22pm

    She also said that the ambassy had all the protection they needed, ignoring the pleas for more and previous troubles they had. Clueless dolt!

    Report this comment

    Rational Man  
  • jginmt
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:22pm

    These incompetent and naive liberal / progressives is criminal. This political correctness of the left gets people killed. This was an act of war and what does our Commander in Chief do? Goes to a fund raiser.

    Report this comment

    jginmt  
  • lynnissmart
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:21pm

    What a pathetic excuse for a human being….Vomit!

    Report this comment

    lynnissmart  
  • BannedByHuffpo
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:19pm

    No. In this lib/progressive’s mind, they were just “bullys”.

    Report this comment

    BannedByHuffpo  
  • IronSights
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:19pm

    I’ll say it terrorists, terrorists, terrorists. The spineless toad. Just like much of the Obama regime.

    Report this comment

    IronSights  
  • intercepter
    Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:17pm

    our govt. really needs a good flush to get rid of all the crap

    Report this comment

    intercepter  

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