USA Africa Dialogue Series - Three Top State Department Officials Resign Over Benghazi

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Three Top State Department Officials Resign Over Benghazi

Three top officials in State Department resigned Wednesday in wake of
a scathing report which cited "systemic failures" in Benghazi attack.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

First Publish: 12/19/2012, 11:24 PM

The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames

Reuters

Three top officials in the State Department resigned Wednesday in the
wake of a scathing report which slammed "systemic failures" and
"management deficiencies" in the attack on the U.S. embassy in
Benghazi, which resulted in the murder of four Americans, including
Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Assistant Secretary Eric Boswell, head of the bureau of diplomatic
security, and Charlene Lamb, deputy assistant secretary for
international programs, have stepped down, CNN and CBS television
said, citing unnamed department officials.

Lamb, who was Boswell's deputy in charge of international programs,
denied requests from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli for an extension of
temporary security forces that were withdrawn in the months before the
Benghazi attack.

The third person expected to resign has not yet been identified.

The resignations came just hours after an independent panel issued a
long-awaited inquiry into the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic
mission in Benghazi, which has been blamed on Al-Qaeda affiliated
terrorists.

"Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at
senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a
Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and
grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place," the
report said.

The report did not find reason for disciplinary action against any
officials but singled out the bureaus of Diplomatic Security and Near
Eastern Affairs for criticism, saying its leaders demonstrated a "lack
of proactive leadership and management ability in their responses to
security concerns."

Lamb wanted to keep the U.S. security presence "artificially low,"
according to a memo released prior to the hearing.

She had testified that the consulate had enough security resources
given what officials detected as known threats to the U.S. facility.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), said
Lamb's comment "somehow doesn't seem to ring true to the American
people," because there had already been an attack on the consulate
earlier this year and U.S.'s radar should have been on high-alert
given that it was the 11th anniversary of 9/11.

Lamb said, however, that two of her supervisors had signed off on the
decision to withhold the security forces.

Deputy Secretary Bill Burns acknowledged Wednesday that the report
took "a clear-eyed look at serious, systemic problems, which are
unacceptable."

"Problems for which as Secretary Clinton has said we take
responsibility, and problems which we have already begun to fix."

He admitted to reporters that "we have learned some very hard and
painful lessons in Benghazi."

"We are already acting on them, we have to do better. We have to do
more to constantly improve, and reduce the risks that people face, and
make sure they have the resources they need. We owe them."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was unable to testify due to
dehydration caused by a severe stomach virus.

Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton had accused Clinton of
a being ailed by a "diplomatic illness" to avoid scheduled open
testimony Thursday before House and Senate panels regarding the
attack.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland slammed the comments
as being "completely untrue."

"We put out such a full statement Saturday of exactly what was going
on because people speculate wildly," she said.


Tags: Terror ,attack ,Libya ,Benghazi ,US State Department ,report


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