Politics

Rand Paul questions Obama administration on Libya

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W. James Antle III Managing Editor
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Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul asked Friday whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knowingly denied a request for additional security at the U.S. consulate in Libya less than a month before the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens.

“If Ambassador Stevens signed a security request that was sent to Secretary Clinton, who subsequently denied that request, Secretary Clinton must answer these charges,” Paul said in a statement.

Paul’s statement cites a Pat Buchanan column laying out the timeline.

“On Aug. 15, at the U.S. compound in Benghazi, an emergency meeting was convened to discuss the 10 Islamist militias and their training camps in the area, among them al-Qaida and Ansar al-Sharia,” Buchanan wrote. “On Aug. 16, a cable went to the State Department describing the imminent danger, saying the compound could not defend itself against a ‘coordinated attack.'”

“The cable was sent to Hillary Clinton — and signed by Ambassador Chris Stevens,” Buchanan continued. “On Sept. 11, Ambassador Stevens died in a coordinated attack on the Benghazi compound by elements of Ansar al-Sharia and al-Qaida.”

“Administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, have repeatedly told us that more security was never requested in Libya,” Paul said. “If this is false, and security was requested — and was denied — Administration officials must answer for this gross intelligence and security failure.”

Paul has been outspoken about the Benghazi attacks before, even calling for an end to foreign aid to Libya until the perpetrators are brought to justice. But he has been critical of the Obama administration as well as Libyan authorities.

“Where the hell were the Marines?” Paul asked in October. “In Libya, where were the Marines? There were no uniformed Marines guarding our ambassador?”

“The president has told us ‘the buck stops here,” the senator said Friday. “It’s time for him to prove it.”

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