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Sen. Paul: Obama had four hours to respond militarily to Libyan terrorist attack
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Friday that the Obama administration had four hours to deploy a Special Forces team to Libya when the U.S. Consulate was under attack last month.
“The Consulate’s annex in Benghazi was under siege for more than four hours, and this came after the first attack on the U.S. Consulate compound,” Paul said in a statement Friday. “Despite repeated requests for help, dozens of Americans were left to fend for themselves against heavily armed terrorists. With hours to respond, there was more than enough time to dispatch a Special Operations team from Sigonella Air Force Base in Sicily, but no attempt was made.
“And now, reports are coming out that CIA and Special Forces that may have been able to help were told to stand down and not intervene.”
“Four Americans were killed — including our Ambassador to Libya — but their lives might have been saved had we intervened,” Paul said. “I ask again: Where were the Marines to protect American personnel in Libya?”
Republicans have repeatedly criticized the administration as more information is released, saying the killings could have been prevented if the administration had done more to protect the consulate, particularly because Stevens had expressed growing concerns about security there.
“The more we learn about the response to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the more apparent it is that the administration completely failed to adequately protect Americans in danger,” Paul said. “They failed to provide a Marine detachment to defend our diplomatic facilities in Libya — one of the most dangerous places on the planet — and they failed to act when those facilities came under attack. Americans posted in Libya repeatedly expressed their concern to their superiors that it was unsafe and that they were not adequately protected.”
Paul demanded that someone in the administration be held accountable.
“Someone must be held accountable for this inaction,” Paul said. “The American people and the families of those who were killed expect and deserve to know the truth behind the administration’s complete inaction and failure to protect its embassies and citizens abroad.”
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she'd take responsibility for the lack of security during the attack in order "to avoid some kind of political gotcha" for the administration. The next day, in the second presidential debate, the president said that, “Secretary Clinton has done an extraordinary job but she works for me.”
“I’m the president and I’m always responsible.”
Before the Senate adjourned for the November elections, Paul's bill, which would have ended all foreign aid to Libya until "they started acting like our allies," failed to pass.
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