Home
Obama administration officials threatened whistle-blowers on Benghazi, lawyer says
By James Rosen
Published April 29, 2013
FoxNews.com
At least four career officials at the State Department and the
Central Intelligence Agency have retained lawyers or are in the process
of doing so, as they prepare to provide sensitive information about the
Benghazi attacks to Congress, Fox News has learned.
Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department official and
Republican counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, is now
representing one of the State Department employees. She told Fox News
her client and some of the others, who consider themselves
whistle-blowers, have been threatened by unnamed Obama administration
officials.
“I'm not talking generally, I'm talking specifically about Benghazi –
that people have been threatened,” Toensing said in an interview
Monday. “And not just the State Department. People have been threatened
at the CIA.”
Toensing declined to name her client. She also refused to say whether
the individual was on the ground in Benghazi on the night of Sept. 11,
2012, when terrorist attacks on two U.S. installations in the Libyan
city killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris
Stevens.
However, Toensing disclosed that her client has pertinent information
on all three time periods investigators consider relevant to the
attacks: the months that led up to the attack, when pleas by the
ambassador and his staff for enhanced security in Benghazi were mostly
rejected by senior officers at the State Department; the eight-hour time
frame in which the attacks unfolded, and the eight-day period that
followed the attacks, when Obama administration officials incorrectly
described them as the result of a spontaneous protest over a video.
“It's frightening, and they're doing some very despicable threats to
people,” she said. “Not ‘we're going to kill you,’ or not ‘we're going
to prosecute you tomorrow,’ but they're taking career people and making
them well aware that their careers will be over [if they cooperate with
congressional investigators].”
Federal law provides explicit protections for federal government
employees who are identified as “whistle-blowers.” The laws aim to
ensure these individuals will not face repercussions from their
superiors, or from other quarters, in retaliation for their provision of
information about corruption or other forms of wrongdoing to Congress,
or to an agency’s inspector-general.
Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican from California who chairs the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote to Secretary of
State John Kerry on Friday to complain that the department has not
provided a process by which attorneys like Toensing can receive the
security clearances necessary for them to review classified documents
and other key evidence.
“It is unavoidable that Department employees identifying themselves
as witnesses in the Committee’s investigation will apply for a security
clearance to allow their personal attorneys to handle sensitive or
classified material,” Issa wrote. “The Department’s unwillingness to
make the process for clearing an attorney more transparent appears to be
an effort to interfere with the rights of employees to furnish
information to Congress.”
The Obama administration maintains that it has been more than
forthcoming on Benghazi and that it is time for the State Department to
move on. At a recent hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Kerry noted that administration officials have testified at eight
hearings on Benghazi, provided 20 briefings on the subject and turned
over to Congress some 25,000 documents related to the killings.
“So if you have additional questions or you think there's some
document that somehow you need, I'll work with you to try to get it and
see if we can provide that to you,” Kerry told committee Chairman Rep.
Ed Royce, R-Calif., on April 17. But Kerry added: “I do not want to
spend the next year coming up here talking about Benghazi.”
Asked about Issa’s complaints about attorneys not receiving security
clearances, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell on Monday
indicated that – far from threatening anyone – the administration hasn’t
been presented with any such cases. “I'm not aware of private counsel
seeking security clearances or -- or anything to that regard,” Ventrell
told reporters. “I'm not aware of whistle-blowers one way or another.”
Ventrell cited the work of the FBI – whose probe of the attacks
continues almost eight months later and without any known instances of
perpetrators being brought to justice – and the Accountability Review
Board. The board was an internal State Department review panel led by
former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering and former
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. An unclassified
version of the board’s final report that was released to the public
contained no conclusions that suggested administration officials had
willfully endangered their colleagues in Benghazi or had misled the
public or Congress.
“And that should be enough,” Ventrell said at Monday’s press
briefing. “Congress has its own prerogatives, but we've had a very
thorough, independent investigation, which we completed and [which was]
transparent and shared. And there are many folks who are, in a political
manner, trying to sort of use this for their own political means, or
ends.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/29/obama-administration-officials-have-threatened-whistle-blowers-on-benghazi/#ixzz2Rtw37Kef
By James Rosen
Published April 29, 2013
FoxNews.com
At least four career officials at the State Department and the
Central Intelligence Agency have retained lawyers or are in the process
of doing so, as they prepare to provide sensitive information about the
Benghazi attacks to Congress, Fox News has learned.
Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department official and
Republican counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, is now
representing one of the State Department employees. She told Fox News
her client and some of the others, who consider themselves
whistle-blowers, have been threatened by unnamed Obama administration
officials.
“I'm not talking generally, I'm talking specifically about Benghazi –
that people have been threatened,” Toensing said in an interview
Monday. “And not just the State Department. People have been threatened
at the CIA.”
Toensing declined to name her client. She also refused to say whether
the individual was on the ground in Benghazi on the night of Sept. 11,
2012, when terrorist attacks on two U.S. installations in the Libyan
city killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris
Stevens.
However, Toensing disclosed that her client has pertinent information
on all three time periods investigators consider relevant to the
attacks: the months that led up to the attack, when pleas by the
ambassador and his staff for enhanced security in Benghazi were mostly
rejected by senior officers at the State Department; the eight-hour time
frame in which the attacks unfolded, and the eight-day period that
followed the attacks, when Obama administration officials incorrectly
described them as the result of a spontaneous protest over a video.
“It's frightening, and they're doing some very despicable threats to
people,” she said. “Not ‘we're going to kill you,’ or not ‘we're going
to prosecute you tomorrow,’ but they're taking career people and making
them well aware that their careers will be over [if they cooperate with
congressional investigators].”
Federal law provides explicit protections for federal government
employees who are identified as “whistle-blowers.” The laws aim to
ensure these individuals will not face repercussions from their
superiors, or from other quarters, in retaliation for their provision of
information about corruption or other forms of wrongdoing to Congress,
or to an agency’s inspector-general.
Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican from California who chairs the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote to Secretary of
State John Kerry on Friday to complain that the department has not
provided a process by which attorneys like Toensing can receive the
security clearances necessary for them to review classified documents
and other key evidence.
“It is unavoidable that Department employees identifying themselves
as witnesses in the Committee’s investigation will apply for a security
clearance to allow their personal attorneys to handle sensitive or
classified material,” Issa wrote. “The Department’s unwillingness to
make the process for clearing an attorney more transparent appears to be
an effort to interfere with the rights of employees to furnish
information to Congress.”
The Obama administration maintains that it has been more than
forthcoming on Benghazi and that it is time for the State Department to
move on. At a recent hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Kerry noted that administration officials have testified at eight
hearings on Benghazi, provided 20 briefings on the subject and turned
over to Congress some 25,000 documents related to the killings.
“So if you have additional questions or you think there's some
document that somehow you need, I'll work with you to try to get it and
see if we can provide that to you,” Kerry told committee Chairman Rep.
Ed Royce, R-Calif., on April 17. But Kerry added: “I do not want to
spend the next year coming up here talking about Benghazi.”
Asked about Issa’s complaints about attorneys not receiving security
clearances, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell on Monday
indicated that – far from threatening anyone – the administration hasn’t
been presented with any such cases. “I'm not aware of private counsel
seeking security clearances or -- or anything to that regard,” Ventrell
told reporters. “I'm not aware of whistle-blowers one way or another.”
Ventrell cited the work of the FBI – whose probe of the attacks
continues almost eight months later and without any known instances of
perpetrators being brought to justice – and the Accountability Review
Board. The board was an internal State Department review panel led by
former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering and former
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. An unclassified
version of the board’s final report that was released to the public
contained no conclusions that suggested administration officials had
willfully endangered their colleagues in Benghazi or had misled the
public or Congress.
“And that should be enough,” Ventrell said at Monday’s press
briefing. “Congress has its own prerogatives, but we've had a very
thorough, independent investigation, which we completed and [which was]
transparent and shared. And there are many folks who are, in a political
manner, trying to sort of use this for their own political means, or
ends.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/29/obama-administration-officials-have-threatened-whistle-blowers-on-benghazi/#ixzz2Rtw37Kef
» MM&C 11/14/24 Trump and the Iraqi Banks Puzzle
» utube 11/13/24 MM&C MM&C News-Private Sector- Electronic Payments-Reconstruction-Development-Digit
» utube MM&C 11/15/24 Update-Budget-Non Oil Resources-CBI-USFED-Cross Border Transfers-Oil
» New decline in gold in Iraq.. and globally records the worst week in 3 years
» Monitoring body approves 2023 imports annual report
» Development Road: Faw Port Ignites Regional Corridor Race
» First in Iraq... Diyala sets a plan for "rural reconstruction"
» Al-Saadi: Influential parties are working to erase the theft of the century file
» MP: Baghdad supports the "Diyala Artery" project with 40 billion dinars
» Source: General amnesty law will pave the way for the return of terrorist groups
» The Prime Minister stresses the need to expedite the completion of the requirements for restructurin
» Minister of Resources: The project to develop the left side of the Tigris River has reached its fina
» Foreign Minister: We are proceeding with implementing the associated gas exploitation program
» Swiss Ambassador Expresses His Country's Desire to Invest in Iraq
» "We left the camel and its load" .. Moroccan farmers await "imminent compensation" from Iraq
» OPEC sues Iraqi minister over oil violations.. What is Kurdistan's involvement?
» Iraq warns of 'dire consequences' of imposing barriers to plastic products
» Iranian newspaper: Iraq's development path is a step towards regional economic integration
» Al-Mandlawi discusses with the Russian ambassador developing relations in the fields of economy, inv
» Oil Minister discusses with Dutch Ambassador strengthening bilateral relations
» The Minister of Oil discusses with the companies "+dss" and "Xergy", joint cooperation to develop th
» Rafidain Bank announces a plan to include other branches in the implementation of the comprehensive
» With the presence of the opposition... Baghdad supports the partnership government in Kurdistan
» Parliamentary move to raise retirement age in state institutions to 63 years
» Through leaks.. Warnings against creating political crises as parliamentary elections approach
» Iraqi oil returns to decline in global markets
» Parliamentary Committee: Iraq uses its international relations to avert the dangers of war from its
» The value of non-oil imports for Sulaymaniyah and Halabja governorates during a week
» Rafidain: Continuous expansion in implementing the comprehensive banking system
» Planning: The population census includes residents of Iraq according to a special mechanism
» Transparency website reveals non-oil imports to Sulaymaniyah and Halabja during a week
» Al-Sudani directs the adoption of specialized international companies to prepare a unified structure
» MP warns of a move that will worsen the housing crisis and calls on the government
» Disagreements strike the Kurdish house... hindering the formation of the regional parliament and gov
» Hundreds of Moroccan farmers are waiting for “imminent compensation” from Iraq.. What’s the story?
» Iraq 10-Year Review: Spending, Imports, Unemployment in 2024 at ‘Highest Level’ in a Decade
» Call to all smokers in Iraq: Prepare for the law
» utube 11/11/24 MM&C News Reporting-IRAQ-USA-Financial Inclusion up 48%-Money Inside & Out of Iraq
» Al-Mandlawi to the UN envoy: The supreme authority diagnosed the problems and provided solutions for
» Saleh: Government strategy to boost gold reserves as part of asset diversification
» Prime Minister's advisor rules out oil price collapse: Trump's policy will not sacrifice petrodollar
» Tripartite alliance between Iraq, Egypt and Jordan to boost maritime trade
» Parliamentary Committee reveals date of entry into force of Personal Status Law
» Al-Fatah warns against US blackmail and Trump's intentions for the next stage
» A leader in the law: If the Americans do not leave on their own two feet, we will expel them in fune
» MP: Next Sunday's session will witness the passing of "important laws"
» There is a financial aspect.. Al-Zaidi rules out voting on the real estate law
» "Promising" economic opportunities in central Iraq open doors to investment, trade and unemployment
» Minister of Transport: Arab interest in the development road project
» Bitcoin Fails to Maintain Its Meteoric Rise
» Amending the retirement age on the parliament's table.. This is the latest that has been reached
» Launching the Health Unit Initiative in Iraqi Schools
» Will Iraq be the savior of the countries of the region if oil prices fall?
» Regarding electrical energy.. Government moves to meet the needs of next summer
» {Retirement age} sparks debate in parliament
» Minister of Transport to {Sabah}: Arab interest in the development road project
» Planning: Two important pre-census activities start today and tomorrow
» Next week.. contracting with 2500 applicants on a {contract} basis
» Service Effort: Opening 30 projects in agricultural areas next month
» The House of Representatives issues a clarification regarding its tenders and official invitations
» Issuance of (3000) new decisions for politically dismissed employees and non-employees
» Al-Sudani discusses cooperation in the field of energy and development of the oil and gas sector wit
» Trade: Transferring 400 billion dinars to pay farmers’ dues for the remaining wheat for the northern
» Iranian Minister of Trade and Industry Injured During Trip to Kurdistan
» Chairman of the Integrity Commission: Corruption negatively affects reconstruction and development a
» Strengthening judicial cooperation on the table of Judge Zidane and his Turkish counterpart
» Al-Sudani directs the Ministry of Oil to communicate with Shell to implement projects that serve Ira
» One of them is "protocol".. A politician determines the extent of the difference between Al-Sudani's
» Iraq confirms its keenness to support OPEC unity to ensure oil price stability
» It may drop to 40%.. Al-Kanani warns of a sharp drop in oil and directs an urgent call to the govern
» Distribution next week.. The region will receive nearly 533 billion dinars to finance its employees’
» Iraq expresses interest in cooperating with major international oil companies
» Criticism follows the performance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in international positions.. Wi
» Al-Mashhadani's election "embarrassed him"... Will Al-Sudani implement the ministerial reshuffle?
» Will the "dollar crisis" topple the central bank governor?
» The Oil and Gas Law Returns to the Forefront... Will Al-Sudani Be Able to Resolve the Disputes Over
» Oil Licenses in Basra: An Environmental Disaster That Raises Cancer Rates and Suffocates the Populat
» Iraq begins intensive campaign to deport illegal foreign workers and regulate the labor market
» Government advisor explains Baghdad Metro project specifications and confirms its continuation witho
» Al-Mashhadani to the 188 Alliance delegation: The best solution is to give people the freedom to cho
» Parliamentarian: Ambassadors and representatives of foreign missions came to Parliament to prevent t
» Al-Sudani's advisor reveals the reasons for the lack of gold in the government's reserves
» New fortifications close the most dangerous border gaps between Iraq and Syria
» "Baghdad breathes a sigh of relief" .. Closing of 144 illegal factories that emit toxins into the ai
» Iraqi oil prices continue to decline amid global price decline
» “The War of Leaks” Confuses the Political Scene... Blackmail or Expose of Corruption?
» Government sends budget amendment to resolve differences with region
» More than 800 “dual-job” employees work at Najaf Airport
» Slight rise in dollar prices against the dinar in Iraqi stock exchanges
» Where did the parliamentary discussions on the "retirement age" reach?
» The region "mobilizes" for the first census in 37 years: It will increase the budget share and the n
» "Thousands of them are suspended" .. Draft laws challenge the remainder of the life of the current p
» Population, oil and salaries...hot files in the meeting between Al-Sudani and Barzani
» Political attempts to obstruct it.. Personal Status Law on its way to legislation
» MP: Al-Sudani has reached the conviction of the necessity of removing some ministers
» Central Bank announces progress in dollar control procedures
» Baghdad.. Closing 144 informal metal smelting factories to reduce pollution
» Private Banks Association: Iraq to adopt advanced trade finance system by end of 2024