President Obama said he is unaware of longstanding efforts by Republican lawmakers to question survivors of the Benghazi attacks but pledged to investigate it.
“I’m not familiar with this notion that anybody has been blocked from testifying,” the president said during a White House news conference on Tuesday. “So what I’ll do is I will find out what exactly you’re referring to.”
Obama’s pledge to find out more came as officials at the State Department pushed back against allegations -- first aired Monday on Fox News -- that career employees at the agency have been threatened if they furnish new information about the Benghazi attacks to members of Congress.
“The State Department is deeply committed to meeting its obligation to protect employees, and the State Department would never tolerate -- tolerate or sanction -- retaliation against whistle-blowers on any issue, including this one,” spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday. “That’s an obligation we take very seriously -- full stop.”
◼ In his press conference today, President Obama claimed ignorance of any roadblocks keeping Benghazi whistleblowers from testifying, but he promised he’d get to the bottom of it and get back to the press. - Twitchy
They’ll have to get in line, because Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has been asking for a weeks what it will take to clear the way for survivors of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya to come forward and tell their stories.
Here's my response to @barackobama's comments on #Benghazi whistleblowers --> 1.usa.gov/17vLdzW
— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) April 30, 2013
Issa issued the following statement in response to Obama’s remarks, along with links to copies of his four letters.
A lawyer for Benghazi whistleblowers has publicly stated that the State Department is blocking her client’s ability to talk freely with counsel. Over the past two weeks, I have sent four letters requesting that this Administration make information available about how lawyers – who already have security clearances and are representing Benghazi whistleblowers – can be cleared to fully hear their clients’ stories. I have yet to receive any response from the Obama Administration.Issa also joined in on the #LetThemSpeak hashtag campaign.
Even if the President really doesn’t know anything about someone wanting to come forward, his position should be that whistleblowers deserve protection and that anyone who has different information about Benghazi is free to come forward to Congress. The President’s unwillingness to commit himself to protecting whistleblowers only aids those in his Administration who are intimidating them.
#WhatDifferenceDoesItMake >TRUTH of #Benghazi Makes A Difference#LetThemSpeak because #Benghazi is MORE than A Bump In The Road
— Lara White (@LaraWhite14) May 1, 2013
◼ BREAKING: Rep. Trey Gowdy Says Eyewitnesses Will Testify Next Week at Benghazi Hearing (Video) - Jim Hoft/Gateway Pundit
“Well I am not liberty to disclose the identity of the witnesses but I will just say what I have said previously which is it is going to be a very informational and instructive hearing. I would encourage you to follow it. Benghazi is warming up. It is not going away despite the efforts of this administration… You know that hearsay evidence is not so interesting. First hand accounts by eye-witnesses much more compelling. So I would again repeat for your audience and those who may be watching. Let me just say next week will be a good opportunity for us to hear non-hearsay accounts of what happened in Benghazi.“
