Benghazi Blood ‘Is On Their Hands’ and Obama Administration Needs to Answer Key Questions, House Homeland Security Chairman Says
Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, charged the Obama administration with abandoning American's in the deadly Benghazi attack, saying the "blood is on their hands" and only a select committee has the authority and power to uncover the truth.
McCaul, a Texas Republican and former prosecutor, said the numerous committee hearings already held on Benghazi have not been aggressive enough in uncovering what happened on September 11, 2012 when al-Qaeda militants executed a pre-planned attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
"The tentacles lead to the White House," McCaul told The Blaze's contributor Mallory Factor in an exclusive interview.
The killings of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other U.S. contractors the night of the attack must be vindicated, he said.
The "blood is on their hands and we need to get to the bottom of it for the victims," said McCaul, referencing the administration.
"I'm in favor of establishing a select committee on Benghazi, to give it the stature, the resources necessary, the subpoena power to get to the bottom of what happened," he said.
He further warned that any plans former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to run for president in 2016 would be awash because of Benghazi, saying she was responsible for her diplomats overseas and failed to provide them adequate protection.
James Carafano, a senior defense analyst and foreign policy expert with The Heritage Foundation, agreed that only a select committee, having the power to subpoena, is needed.
"We still have not gotten all the answers to the important question but now we are getting additional information that suggests that there are shortfalls in security at other "high-risk" missions, embassies, and consulates....so maybe we do have a larger problem here and it is starting to look like the Benghazi-cover-up helped mask these larger issues," Carafano told The Blaze.
It's not just Benghazi that has McCaul angry but the FBI's refusal to testify at his committee hearings in early July regarding the Boston bombings.
McCaul, who noted that the Boston bombings took place only four months into his chairmanship, told The Blaze the hearings are necessary to find answers as to how the attack could have been prevented and why law enforcement failed to connect the dots and share information. Unfortunately, he said, without the FBI's information Congress will never know the truth.
Members of the committee, chaired by McCaul, sought answers as to what the bureau knew about the ring-leader and now deceased older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev prior to the attacks. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger brother, is awaiting trial for his role in the bombings, which left hundreds wounded and four dead.
"It's very disappointing that the FBI is stonewalling us and refusing to cooperate," McCaul said.
He warned that his committee has the ability to subpoena the FBI and "it is one of the options we're looking at right now."
FBI Spokesman Paul Bresson told The Blaze that discussing the case is not an option at the present time because the Boston Marathon bombing investigation is ongoing "as is the prosecution of the defendant."
Bresson noted that certain information gathered as part of the investigation is in fact "withheld" from the public in order to protect the integrity of the judicial process.
"We have briefed Rep. McCaul personally as well as his committee on several occasions and will continue to do so as necessary on this important matter," Bresson told The Blaze.
Russian officials, however, repeatedly warned the FBI in 2011 about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's possible terror connections, which included an alert sent to the bureau after their 2011 investigation. But according to numerous news reports FBI officials concluded there was not enough evidence to suggest Tsarnaev was a threat at the time.
McCaul said after several hearings on the bombings it was apparent that 12 years after the 9/11 attacks the FBI is still failing and failed to share vital national security information with local law enforcement counterparts in Boston.
"We wanted to give them the opportunity to come in, work with us, cooperate with us, produce documents but their attitude is 'your not entitled to know about this and the American people are not entitled to know about this?," said McCaul.
McCaul said that his committee plans to hold several more hearings on the Boston attacks, with plans to issue a report and recommendation.
"We have a lot of people who were killed and maimed that day," said McCaul. "I don't want the American people to forget the story because it can happen again in the United States...I want to make sure the FBI is fully cooperating with state and local law enforcement to ensure that this never happens again."
The FBI, on the other hand, also has an obligation to ensure that "both the government's ability to conduct a successful prosecution is not compromised nor are the rights of all parties involved including the victims, their families, and the defendant," Bresson said.
Watch Mallory Factor's complete interview with Rep. Mike McCaul below:
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