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Obama cites 'sloppiness' in Benghazi security

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    Reaction from Amb. John Bolton

  • Duration 6:09
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-- new controversy today almost four months after a group of Americans including our ambassador.

Was murdered in Libya on the September 11 of this year the president this weekend.

Seemed to suggest that there are some promising leads on who was behind the attack itself but when he was asked about.

Who should be held responsible for the deaths of ambassador Chris Stevens and three others the president seemed to blame a general sloppiness.

-- -- pointing the finger at anyone specific list.

Some individuals have been held accountable inside the State Department and what I've said is that we -- gonna -- to make sure that this does not happen again because these are folks that I send into the field.

We understand that there are dangers involved but.

You know when you read the report and -- confirms.

What we -- Hussein and they're based on some more internal reviews.

There was just some sloppiness.

Not intentional.

In terms of how we.

Secure -- embassies in areas where you essentially.

Don't have governments that have a lot of capacity to protect those embassies with respect to who carried it out.

That's an ongoing investigation.

The FBI has sent individuals to Libya repeatedly.

We have some very good leads but this is not something that.

You know I'm gonna be at liberty to talk about right now.

Joining us now is congressman ambassador John Bolton so let's talk about some of what we just heard from President Obama yesterday on Meet the Press first of all the notion.

If this was sloppiness is that what it was.

Well I don't think so at all on what troubles me about that word most is the mindset that of the president that it reveals.

That the death of four Americans is just something that with a few minor alterations you can.

Cleanup that's what sloppiness implies that things are basically OK.

But that of the few mistakes were made by unnamed individuals the fact is that.

They the ideology of the administration and the world view they have is that.

Things in Libya we're going -- that we were moving toward a normal.

Status in that country and -- for the repeated requests.

By embassy Tripoli for enhanced security were denied.

And we still don't know not from the state department's internal review panel not from.

The reports that congress is issued Wyatt was that the State Department continually rejected these request.

For more assistance that led to the tragedy on 9/11 so I think this is really it's a very disturbing.

Statement by the president that that reveals a lot more troubling aspects of the way are people overseas are being protected are not being protected.

Some good leads that's how the president described the investigation into who exactly was responsible.

For these attacks does it surprise you ambassador that three and a half months after that attack that that's all we have are some good leads.

No they don't appear to be good enough to have actually found anybody and I think again this is a he had the statement by the president reveals that the internal.

Workings of his mind that this is a kind of criminal investigation that you're looking for leads the way the police or the FBI do.

Whereas in fact this was an act of war against our facility there and -- -- four people were killed.

There was -- brutal firefight that went on for eight hours that this is not like.

A bank robbery that got a little bit out of control.

And I think that the signal that we've been sending our our -- -- but he really.

Now almost three months after the attack.

Is very disturbing four -- other official Americans in private citizens in the Middle East.

And encouragement to terrorist groups as in the 1990s.

-- The World Trade Center was bombed for the first time the USS Cole was bombed Khobar Towers -- -- Our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were found that these things happen and not much is done by the US in response.

And that is a pattern that led the first 9/11.

And I hate to think that we were saying it again.

I want to ask you about Hillary Clinton's health problems.

You and several others on the right had said that that the health problems that were explained by the State Department were merely a way for.

Secretary Clinton to be able to get out from having to testify about -- -- And now we've heard that her condition is actually quite serious do you want to amend it any of your comments -- -- take that back.

Well the thrust of what I've said repeatedly from the very first time I was asked about it was there was a real absence of transparency.

In the way the State Department was presenting.

The secretary's medical condition and I don't think that lack of transparency frankly has gotten any better.

I think this is something that that that we should be concerned about given the importance of the the role of the secretary of state.

And I don't think this this effort.

To try and not be fully transparent is helping anybody certainly not Secretary Clinton.

But are you confident -- do you believe now the explanation that she's being treated for.

A blood clot and -- new York city hospital or do you continue to believe that there is some sort of an effort here to prevent her from having to testify fully about what she knows about right in -- -- I didn't think that was the effort to begin with I think that they're trying to walk a fine line.

That does not affect the potential presidential candidacy that we expect.

As Senator Clinton -- into into in the in the near future after she leaves the State Department and I think it's that too cute by half approach.

That's reflected in the absence of transparency that's gonna end up damaging her damaging her credibility.

And just real quickly mr.

ambassador a couple seconds left do you believe.

That eventually we will get to hear from Secretary Clinton and that we will get to the bottom of exactly what went down a leading up to the attacks and Ben -- and what's happened since.

-- I think we'll hear from her at some point whether we get to the bottom of what happened through that testimony or not remains to be -- Former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton happy new year and helping -- and when your family thank you -- thank you -- and.

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