The State Department made it clear in a memo that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the “public face” of the U.S. effort in war-torn Libya well before the Benghazi attack of September 2012, according to an email released by the agency Friday.
In a April 4, 2012 email sent by Clinton’s then-deputy chief of staff Jake Sullivan, the message to staff made it known that Clinton was the leading figure on issues relating to Libya. (RELATED: HILLARY EMAILS: State Dept. Knew Of A Threat Against U.S. Officials In Benghazi One Year Before Attacks)
“HRC [Clinton’s initials] has been a critical voice on Libya in administration deliberations, at NATO, and in contact group meetings — as well as the public face of the U.S. effort in Libya,” Sullivan wrote.
The memo — entitled “Secretary Clinton’s leadership on Libya” — went on to detail Clinton’s role in the beleaguered state.
“She was instrumental in securing the authorization, building the coalition, and tightening the noose around Qadhafi and his regime,” the statement reads.
Five months later, the American diplomatic compound was attacked in Benghazi by Islamic extremists and U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the assault. (RELATED: Emails: Hillary Called Americans Killed At Benghazi By THE WRONG NAME)
Libya is considered by many to be a failed state and has become a hotbed for Islamic extremism following the Obama-backed toppling of the Gaddafi regime in 2011.