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04/18/2024 05:56:29 am

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Republican Senator Blasts GOP Report On Benghazi Attack

U.S. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

(Photo : REUTERS/Joshua Roberts) U.S. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

A Republican senator on Sunday lambasted a House GOP report that has, for the most part, cleared the Obama administration of any wrongdoing over its handling of a deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. The attack claimed the lives of four U.S. citizens, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

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Speaking at CNN's State of the Union, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee's report as a "complete bunch of garbage."

The report, released on Friday, found that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and military had acted accordingly in response to an attack on U.S. diplomatic grounds in Benghazi, Libya, Fox News detailed.

Additionally, the committee concluded that there had been no lapses in the CIA and military's response time and absolved administration officials of any wrongdoing.

Based on the report, the Obama administration did not deliberately set out to mislead the public about how the incident unfolded, despite then-U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice's inaccurate declaration that the attack had been prompted by protests.

Graham alleged the report had completely ignored the intelligence community's responsibility over the attack and lays the entire blame on the State Department.

He said that the House committee had done a "lousy job," noting that information from investigations were sourced from intelligence officials, including former CIA deputy director Mike Morell, who had a history of misleading congressional lawmakers.

Like previous investigations, the report ascertained the State Department had deficiencies in securing the compound's safety and that its defense personnel were aware that it needed outside assistance in the event of a well-armed attack.

Friday's report shares almost identical conclusions to previous reviews but the fact that the report came from House Republicans have re-ignited attention over the issue, the Los Angeles Times relayed.

While GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona had expressed concern over the government's flawed response over the attack - particularly that of Rice's inaccurate depiction of the situation, which the administration later changed - he said it was time people "moved beyond" the issue.

Despite this, Graham expressed hope a separate House panel, the Select Committee on Benghazi, would probe deeper into the matter.

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