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Lawmakers grill State Department officials on Capitol Hill

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    Catherine Herridge reports from Washington, D.C.

  • Duration 4:03
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-- there -- new questions today about what the Obama administration knew about the terror attack in Ben Ghazi compared to what it then told the American people.

State Department officials grilled by lawmakers on the response to -- deadly attack on September 11.

They claimed the lives of four Americans ambassador Chris Stevens to Navy SEALs who were there to protect him any State Department staffer.

She's intelligent for a -- -- Herridge is live in Washington Catherine tell us more about what we learned yesterday.

Well thank you -- good morning lawmakers are investigating whether the president's political agenda.

Strategists security decisions on the ground in Libya that led to the death of -- four Americans I would note though that the seals were not there to protect the ambassador.

They were there on a separate mission.

As Fox News first reported on September 17 there was no demonstration outside the constant and Ghazi.

And the YouTube video was not the reason for the attack these two points were made abundantly clear at the hearing.

There was no protest.

And cameras.

Reveal that and the State Department the FBI and others have that video.

Speaking of video.

The one in California.

Made by an individual and out there for a period of time also.

Clearly had no direct effect on this attack.

When I was in Libya.

Good part of the day never once did a person ever.

Mention a video.

Never.

And these new documents released at the hearing as well as four hours of testimony showed a pattern of significant threats have been Ghazi.

Lawmakers were also told the US missions in Libya did not meet specific physical security standards.

For postings in areas with high risk for terrorism and civil unrest.

Did the buildings and then guys he meet the so called Inman standards after that after the bombings in Beirut we went back as a government formalize some minimum standards did -- or did they not meet those minimum standards.

Neither the that buildings and -- -- nor the buildings seen.

Tripoli met those standards nor.

Was -- plan for the next phase of construction what was called the inter and -- -- when they meet the standards either.

Two points were striking and hearing Allison one is that there was this real undercurrent of sadness from the witnesses many of whom.

Knew those were killed and -- causing the second is that there was so many warnings.

That they felt an attack on the US consulate by terrorists seemed a foregone conclusion -- -- -- that's -- and given all that new information that came to light of these hearings what is the fallout now for the State Department.

Well one -- really dominated -- hearing and it was official Washington was so preoccupied.

With reducing the number of American security personnel the consulate and replacing them with Libyan guards even after a series of attacks.

On diplomats.

For the military -- State Department diplomatic security personnel on the ground.

A terrorist strike on the consulate seemed inevitable given the escalating violence especially the violence targeting diplomatic and western sites even and -- Ghazi.

Requests for more security were ultimately rejected and lost in the bureaucratic nightmare a political Washington.

It's not the hardships.

Not the gunfire it's not the threats it's dealing -- and fighting against the people.

Programs.

And personnel who were supposed to be supporting me and I -- it by saying for me the -- -- is on the inside of the building.

-- yesterday ambassador Kennedy the most senior State Department official to testify before the house government oversight committee responded.

I am extremely.

Extraordinarily proud -- the diplomatic security service these -- individuals -- worked with.

For almost forty years they are the best of the best ever extraordinary professionals.

And I was simply surprised to hear language like that used.

With the hearing accomplish yesterday was to put into the public record.

That the administration's claim that it was an attack that was somehow spun out of a demonstration of at a video was clearly faults and the facts on the ground showed that Allison.

-- nothing Hersh thanks much for the up to Iraq.

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