US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 23, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
During Wednesday’s House hearing on Benghazi, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) pressed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to explain why the four State Department employees cited for leadership failures prior to the attack were only placed on administrative leave and not fired.
“First, all four individuals have been removed from their jobs,” Clinton began. “Secondly, they have been placed on administrative leave. Thirdly, Ambassador Pickering and Admiral Mullen highlighted the reason why this has been so complicated. Under federal statute and regulations, unsatisfactory leadership is not grounds for finding a breach of duty.”
“Fourth, I have submitted legislation to this committee and to the Senate committee to fix this problem so future ARBs (Accountability Review Board) will not face this situation. Because I agree with you, there ought to be more leeway given to the ARBs.”
A previous report by the New York Post revealed that the State Department employees who “resigned” remained on the government payroll.
Per a previous report by TheBlaze:
Assistant Secretary of State Eric Boswell has not “resigned” from government service and will merely be switching desks, according to officials. The other three officials were placed on administrative leave and are expected to return to work soon.
Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in Benghazi when armed terrorists raided a U.S. compound in Libya. The attack was originally blamed on a protest sparked by an anti-Muslim YouTube video. However, an Accountability Review Board found that version to be completely false. The board’s report blamed the attack on terrorists alone and found there was not demonstration outside the U.S. Mission prior to the attack.
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Comments (125)
calebjim
Jan. 23, 2013 at 10:17pmA very poor appearance of Clinton. She has learned well from Bill. She can dance around a question with the best of them.
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suz
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:52pmleave it to a liberal to bring up the iraq war as an excuse for four dead americans.
she’s a treasonous, cold-hearted, selfish bitch and we see right through her.
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Mr.Fitnah
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:29pmYou are simply a fool or a clown to pay any attention to politics they are not paying attention to you.
If we do not have a military coup and return the government to the people after they hang kstreet thugs unions and the media mad dogs and the illegal bureaucracies we are going to live in tyranny forever.
Make no mistake we are living under the tyranny of the leisure class and the elite who give them stuff.
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Mr.Fitnah
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:39pmWhy do you think we keep these unending wars going on?
The government cant take the chance of having trained fighters here @ home.
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Mr.Fitnah
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:50pmIt’s going to be your arms against the UN blue helmets and the “god squad ” or the USA military against the USA government for regime change and restoring the Constitution..
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Advection
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:24pmHillary Clinton actually “defended” her actions today by essentially claiming that ‘the past is the past’.
I will now coopt Hillary’s “defense” and apply it to events that are even farther in the past, which must mean they have even less consequence than Behghazi.
What difference does MLK’s murder make?
What difference does the civil rights movement make?
What difference does the Holocaust make?
What difference does the Cold War make?
What difference does WWII make?
What difference does slavery make?
What difference does ANYTHING make, when you’re a Progressive? The obvious answer is none.
Hillary Clinton publically raped justice today, and she angrily, defiantly dared the Untied States of America to stop her. And we didn’t.
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ktmrider1
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:20pmholy cow! oops I mean Hillary. no wonder Bill chases skirts, Hillary is so ugly she would make a train take a dirt road home. but, she is a habitual liar just like bill so that is why bill sticks around somewhere close by, geee, I wonder what Jenifer Flowers is up to?
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drrgb
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:10pmHillary like Obama and the rest of his Kabul never had a real job or management position. They simply don’t know how to manage, control, or hold a large organization accountable. Instead they do what they know how to do, smooze, give speeches and party and they think that is the job. As a result, the real work does not get done and suprises like Libya pop up. The only thing to do then is to cover up the incidents and pretend they are not important.
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ghostlyspirit
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:01pmwell well hilary takes the fall for obama and knows nothing will happen to her and obama is clear. she is clear and the real reason she decided to act like she is taking responsibility is so she can prepare herself for president wow !!! that is what she will run on how her lip service was all she needed to do for 4 dead Americans .i cant believe how pigs get to do this to our country im so sick of it.
http://www.godandspirit.com
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SilentReader
Jan. 23, 2013 at 8:56pmAnother fairy tale, I’m sure. Let’s face it, these criminals who run the State Department do not ever intend to hold anyone responsible for their traitorous deeds! Is the Congress investigating the arming of the vile Islamist enemy in Libya, Syria and Jordan? Or the fact that some of the same Islamists may have been involved in murdering the hostages taken in the Algeria refinery terrorist attack where, yet again, Americans were murdered? I doubt it. There’s too many cowards in Congress to care about the real issue of the hypocritical foreign policy of this corrupt administration or the previous ones were this woman’s husband armed the al Qaeda and the Mujahedeen in Bosnia and flew the terrorists into Bosnia on NATO planes no less! Did you investigate that? No! And why are we sending planes to the the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist government in Egypt? Why?
You are all a bunch of hypocrites. You say we are fighting the Islamists in Afghanistan and Iraq before that, and then you say you are fighting the Islamists in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Jordan and then you arm them! One would think you are all schizophrenic! And then when thousands of civilians are murdered in these countries that you are supposedly liberating from the terrorists you are never held accountable.
You are playing a dangerous game. You all are not qualified to be the leaders of America. You have shamed America. And you have never been held accountable for any of your egregious policies. Foreign or dom
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cr_temp
Jan. 23, 2013 at 8:54pmSo, now even the Blaze declines to ask the only important questions?
1. Why was the ambassador sent there at that time?
2.Who gave the order to “stand down” repeatedly that night?
3 Who gave the order to blame the “video”?
Why is the Blaze not pounding the table for the Congress to demand that these be answered?
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drrgb
Jan. 23, 2013 at 9:21pmI learned a long time ago, if you screw up, screw up big and often making it too complex for anyone to hold you accountable. Obama and Clinton have diluted the magnitude of their screw ups by making them big, frequent, and complex. Then pretend, what difference does it make.
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FamilyANDyFun
Jan. 23, 2013 at 8:48pmIs someone ever going to ask why those brave souls were left to fight for 7 hours without one single plane flying over with some napalm or why there wasn’t a squadron of Navy Seals dropped to save them? They all watched this in REAL TIME for HOURS and could have deployed! Isn’t that what our special forces are there for???? Those brave seals took what was to be a half hour “hit” as in the Libyans doing our dirty work for us. To a 7 hour “uncomfortable” situation that our admin didn’t think they would ever have to deal with. AND STILL SOMEONE EITHER DIDN’T GIVE THE ORDER TO GET THEM OR ORDERED THEM TO STAND DOWN. I want to know which was it and who gave that order and who knew about it..AS THEY ALL WATCHED IT IN REAL TIME. JUST MY QUESTION…
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dave88
Jan. 23, 2013 at 8:46pmThe government cannot just fire someone for inadequate performance in their job. If they could do that the whole government would be fired.
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XPat
Jan. 23, 2013 at 8:45pmThat miserable, lying, cheating, narcissistic, arrogant, self-entitled, piece of crap would be behind bars in a just society.
She should try this on herself:
http://biggeekdad.com/2012/04/chinese-prostate-treatment/
You know she’s equipped for this kind of Obama type health care treatment.
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Hangman54
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:48pmScreamin’ Eagle
My question exactly!!!!
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pahrumper
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:42pmIs anyone surprised that a person on the Obummmmmmmer admin are not terminated,,,come on now!?!?
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Verceofreason
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:39pmYa can’t swift boat a gal like Hillary with a tint Republican dinghy
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olfart
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:20pmWhy is Congress even wasting their time with Hillary when they know she will cover up for everyone concerned? Obama made a deal with the Libyan rebels to let them kidnap our ambassador so they could use him to ransom their “Blind Sheikh” out of a US prison. That’s why repeated requests for security before the fact were denied. That’s why the Libyan “security force” tiptoed away just before the attack. That’s why the Navy Seals were told repeatedly to stand down and not go to the scene. That’s why a general and and admiral lost their commands for insisting they were going to help. It’s also why the one guy we caught who was believed to be one of the Libyans who led the attack was released after a couple of weeks. If he had made it to Gitmo, we likely would have gotten the whole story from him. These puzzle pieces fit together to form a complete image of Obama’s complicity in the attack.
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jamestoms
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:09pmThe Dems were disgraceful cowards and boot lickers, Lie by Omission, just wait 4 more years you haven’t seen nothing yet alot more Americans will die as sacrifices to Islam and Democrats.
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TC
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:08pm” I did not have sex with that woman! ” What ” Is Is”. No, wait with what was the question? In what Park? Noooooooooo.
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Tretka
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:06pmEverything-that-is-happening-here-and-abroad-is-manipulated. Read that comment over-and-over.
We are not stupid and many of us have discernment. Though you may be called a “conspiracy” nut, just know in your heart what is going down and work on protecting your life. It’s all we can do.
Clinton asked “Why does it matter” because she knows what is really going on. The truth to many is just bothersome.
Watching all of them today was sickening.
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garbagecanlogic
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:04pmShe did not clear up anything. The repubs blew another chance! What wimps! This was just a precursor for her run in 2016.
The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
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Jake Dog2
Jan. 23, 2013 at 7:00pmMade me sick to hear/see all the **** licking by the Dems. and all their interest in her future.
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brigott
Jan. 23, 2013 at 6:42pm“Under federal statute and regulations, unsatisfactory leadership is not grounds for finding a breach of duty.”
Which is why Obama was eligible for re-election.
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Joyzee
Jan. 23, 2013 at 6:40pmWith all of this questioning’ i’m really finding it hard to Lie!..next question
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madvlad
Jan. 23, 2013 at 6:27pmIf she thinks this clears her way for 2016 she’s in for a nasty surprise. His Lordship will not be leaving; in fact methinks he’ll have long before declared martial law and picked up the crown and scepter. She may have her campaign debt paid, but that’s where it ends. Shafted again.
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heavyduty
Jan. 23, 2013 at 6:22pmyeah, and their still getting paid with our money! No work no pay! Then leave them on administrative leave.
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