Senate to hold hearings on Libya attack after election

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Intelligence committee has now announced that they will have hearings closed hearings I should point out on the response to the deadly terror attack on the US consulate in Libya.

But the timing of all of this is raising some eyebrows because people have been looking for answers but these hearings -- naming gets started until after the election.

Let's bring in John Bolton former US ambassador to the UN -- Fox News contributor.

Good morning ambassador good to see you good morning want to let -- with.

What do you make of that announcement.

Well I think -- -- the White House the ability to say congress is investigating what happened -- Benghazi where cooperating.

What's the problem obviously.

Not having the hearing and having it closed not having hearing before November the sixth and certainly.

Convenient and you know the White House argument that talking about this issue talking about what contributed to the tragedy in bad -- he -- say that's political.

And that were politicizing the tragedy I think is very misplaced we have Americans in the Middle East now who are still at risk.

Officials in our diplomatic facilities and private citizens to -- in many respects have even less protection -- the diplomat so.

I think there's a real urgency to this and it's consistent with the administration's behavior since since September the eleventh itself.

That they're reacting in a very passive fashion.

What make over this ongoing debate which would clearly be one of the subjects of this hearing.

About the reaction in the military reaction I've heard both sides I've heard people criticize and that we didn't send somebody in there to help them out.

During the six hours or so that all this played out and I've heard other military folks say that they believe that that what could be done was done during those hours.

Well I think this issue.

Itself is actually much more important than the debate over whether the the riots the demonstration the terrorist attack was caused by this ridiculous YouTube video.

Or whether it was a planned terrorist attack from the beginning I think the evidence is overwhelming now not only.

That it was a planned terrorist attack but the administration knew that essentially in real time on September the eleventh.

But the larger question.

Why the administration had continually refused request for security enhancements from embassy triple -- now why more wasn't done on September the eleventh and there after.

I think we actually know less about the American side at this point in some respects than we do about the -- sided and one point I think it's important.

We should not look back on this is a kind of historical matter but where we know only one facility was attacked and only for seven hours at that time you couldn't tell whether this was just the beginning of a whole wave of attacks across the region -- plant and yet the response.

That was only very fitful and I think most likely because the Pentagon simply.

Automatically put into effect contingency plans that thankfully it has for a whole.

Variety of circumstances not because there was decisiveness and action directed by the White House.

If I think most people just want to see this situation with clear eyes so that we can be.

Ready and prepared and we understand exactly what's going -- -- -- on the ground in and other potential threats to our -- is you point out.

I spoke a little while ago with the Intel chairman of the house Mike Rogers and he said you know we look back at history.

And the USS Cole bombing.

They claimed al-Qaeda claimed later in documents that were found and and discussions that were found that because there was no reaction to that for a while.

No retaliation they felt emboldened by -- in his concern is that because we haven't done anything you know now gone on two months.

And that the same thing might happen when he -- Well I think there's a very real risk of that you know maybe the administration really is planning some kind of military response it did it hasn't looked that way it looks like they're gonna treated once again is a law enforcement matter.

I hope they are preparing a military response it would be just about the only national security secret the administration is -- recently.

But I think congressman Roger's point is right on target think back -- 1979.

Not only did we have our diplomats in Tehran taken hostage we had the embassy in Pakistan burned we had our ambassador in Afghanistan assassinated.

So there was a whole series of things that happened that year and I think you have to say.

That -- at risk of others saying well look they haven't responded to the attack and Ben Ghazi let's see what we can do now.

-- -- and thank him and I was gonna CM.

So.

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Senate to hold hearings on Libya attack after election

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