Lindsey Graham: Benghazi Report ‘Full Of Crap’
A new report on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi was released Friday by the House Intelligence Committee, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, says it’s full of “crap.”
Not pulling any punches in his review of the new report on Benghazi, which largely includes his fellow Republicans’ conclusions, Lindsey Graham let fly on CNN.
“I think the report is full of crap,” said Graham in an interview with Gloria Borger on Sunday’s edition of CNN’s State of the Union.
Among the issues Graham has with the new Benghazi report is the role that Mike Morell played, Morell being deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency at the time.
“I don’t believe that the report is accurate, given the role that Mike Morell played in misleading the Congress on two different occasions. Why didn’t the report say that?” asked Graham.
Lindsey Graham also questioned the new Benghazi attack report’s conclusions regarding alleged lies from the Obama Administration and the “talking points” that followed from then-UN Ambassador Susan Rice.
As far as the new Benghazi report’s concluding that there’s no evidence that members of the Obama administration lied in an effort to cover up their failures in Benghazi, Lindsey Graham threw out the word “garbage.”
“That’s a bunch of garbage,” Graham said. “That’s a complete bunch of garbage.”
While the new report called the security at the Benghazi U.S. mission that was attacked weak, and the process of creating the follow-up talking points for Rice and House members “flawed,” Lindsey Graham sees such findings disingenuous at the least, if not directly contradicting reality.
“When Susan Rice was on television after the attack, she said on three different occasions the consulate was strongly, and significantly secure,” Graham said. “Nothing could be further than that from the truth, and there’s nothing in the talking points about the level of security.”
In all, according to Graham, the report’s findings prove the House Intelligence Committee “is doing a lousy job policing their own.”
“Anybody who has followed Benghazi at all knows that the CIA deputy director did not come forward to tell Congress what role he played in changing the talking points and the only way we knew he was involved is when he told a representative at the White House,” Graham said.
In conclusion, Lindsey Graham intimates that the new report fails to establish accountability on the part of several key players involved with the Benghazi attack and its aftermath, reports the Washington Times.
“This report puts all the blame on the State Department and absolves the intelligence agencies,” said Lindsey Graham. “At the end of the day, everybody is pointing fingers at everyone else. That’s why you need a select committee.”
Graham also indicated in his closing comments that his dissatisfaction with the new Benghazi report would result in his continued examination of its findings.
“I’m going to do a hard review of this,” said Graham.
[Image via CNN]
