Benghazi 'whistleblowers' intimidated, lawyer says
By CNN's Elise Labott and Dana Bash
At least four State Department and CIA employees are being intimidated and blocked from cooperating with a congressional investigation into the deadly terror attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, according to an attorney for one of the officials.
The officials consider themselves whistleblowers and feel threatened with career damage if they decide to give testimony to Congress, according to Victoria Toensing, an attorney for one of the State Department officials.
The story was first reported by Fox News.
"If you are going to take away somebody's job or living then it's a threat," Toensing said.
She would not go into specifics about potential threats her client might have faced. But she said that "it's done in a more subtle way" where suggestions are made that plum assignments will not be available for those who might testify.
Under federal law, employees identified as "whistleblowers" are protected from repercussions by their employer for giving damaging testimony about a government agency to Congress or an inspector general, an independent investigator within an agency.
Toensing, a former Justice Department official and Republican counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, would not name her client or confirm whether they were on the ground the day of the September 11, 2012, attack on the diplomatic facility and CIA annex.
Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
Toensing said her client had relevant information to share with Congress about the attack itself as well as the months leading up to it when requests for more security by Stevens and his staff were largely refused. She also said there was information about the administration's controversial characterization of the attack in the days following.
But Toensing said her client was unable to discuss classified information and key evidence in the case because she (Toensing) didn't have the appropriate security clearance.
"There is a clear obstruction to my client when my client cannot give me all the information because the State Department will not give a process for my being cleared," Toensing said. "What the State Department has to do is clear the lawyer for the information to come out. So even if my client is a witness they will only get half a story."
President Barack Obama on Tuesday said he was unaware of charges that State Department and CIA employees have been intimidated.
"I'm not familiar with this notion that anybody's been blocked from testifying," Obama said in a response to a question at a White House news conference.
In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Rep. Darrell Issa of California complained the State Department needed to establish a process by which attorneys could be provided necessary security clearances to review classified information.
"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," the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said.
"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," he added.
The State Department said it was unaware of any employees who have requested security clearance for private attorneys in connection with the Benghazi matter, adding that department does in fact have a process in place for gaining such clearances.
"The State Department would never tolerate or sanction retaliation against whistleblowers on any issue, including this one," deputy agency spokesman Patrick Ventrell said.
Toensing said no employees have come forward asking for clearance for their lawyers because they are afraid of reprisals.
"I have to protect my client and I am not going to let my client go to people in the State Department and expose himself or herself without my being able to be with that person and if I am not cleared, I can't be with that person," she said. "So it's a chicken and egg thing."
When asked about the issue, Kerry told reporters, "there's been an enormous amount of misinformation out there."
Kerry vowed to cooperate with Congress, but added, "We have to demythologize this issue, and certainly depoliticize it."
The Obama administration continues to face criticism from Republicans over security lapses in Benghazi leading up to the attack. Its early account that it was the result of a spontaneous protest turned out to be wrong.
On Tuesday, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona reiterated their call for the Senate to establish a special committee to investigate the administration's handling of the attack.
"Revelations about witnesses being afraid to testify and military assets that could have been deployed in a timely fashion justify appointing a joint select committee," they said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Kerry suggested lawmakers were harping on the administration's response and that it was time to move on.
"Let's get this done with, folks," Kerry told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in his first appearance before Congress since taking office. "I do not want to spend the next year coming up here talking about Benghazi."
Kerry maintained the administration has been more than forthcoming with Congress over Benghazi. Administration officials involved in the matter have testified eight times before Congress, briefed congressional leaders roughly 20 times and submitted about 25,000 pages of related documents.
"And that should be enough," Ventrell told reporters this week. "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."
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
http://www.badmoon-racing.jp/frame/?url=http://www.ocrv.online
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am encountering problems with your RSS. I donít understand why I cannot join it. Is there anybody else having identical RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
https://www.aluminco.com/umbraco/newsletterstudio/tracking/trackclick.aspx?nid=185042255248005212099220144014155161254154037038&e=090235077216231074026153051006137016032112232048104016255214180034244094197042083234030213045063&url=https://www.fleetservicesorangecounty.com/
Excellent write-up. I certainly love this site. Keep it up!
http://aboutlincolncenter.org/component/dmms/handoff?back_url=https://www.ocrvpaintandservice.com
https://pmd-studio.com/blog/en?wptouch_switch=mobile&redirect=http://ocrvmotorcoaches.com
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I may come back yet again since i have saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
https://trainbit.com/changelang.aspx?returnurl=https://ocrvshop.com/
https://www.faseb.org/pdfviewer?loadthis=http://customcampervans.com/
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article. Many thanks for supplying these details.
http://www.21cl.net/tourl.php?url=http://www.ocrvempire.com/
I really love your site.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you make this site yourself? Please reply back as Iím hoping to create my very own website and would like to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Many thanks!
http://oldtmt.vedomosti.ru/rss/toolbars/closeAd.php?backUrl=https://ocrv.store
Hi there! I simply wish to offer you a big thumbs up for your excellent info you've got right here on this post. I am coming back to your site for more soon.
https://orphus.ru/redir.php?https://ocrvfleetservices.com
Iím impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog thatís equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that too few people are speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy that I found this in my hunt for something concerning this.
http://primepartners.globalprime.com/afs/wcome.php?c=427|0|1&e=GP204519&url=http://www.fleetservicesocrv.com/
https://sipsap.com/out.php?url=http://www.ocrv.us
http://wwx.tw/debug/frm-s/www.ocrvshop.com/
Very good post. I definitely appreciate this website. Keep it up!
https://coach.intraquest.nl/token/cookie?return=http://ocrvmotorsports.biz/
http://www.yaguo.ru/links.php?go=https://www.ocrv.guru
Hello, I do believe your web site may be having internet browser compatibility problems. Whenever I look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in I.E., it's got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Apart from that, excellent site!
https://www.webstolica.ru/go.php?link=https://www.ocrv.life/
http://bastiondesign.ru/link.php?http://www.ocrvexperts.com
https://www.usacarry.com/forums/redirect-to/?redirect=https://ocrv.xyz
https://datum.tv/ra.asp?url=https://ocrvmotorcoachsales.com
https://schnaeppchenfuchs.com/guides/checkout/313?target=http://orangecountyrvrepair.com/
Hello there! I just would like to give you a huge thumbs up for your great info you've got here on this post. I am returning to your blog for more soon.
http://ds.konsis.no/links.do?c=0&t=149&h=Landingsside_banner.html&g=0&link=http://ocrv.rocks
Itís difficult to find educated people for this subject, however, you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
http://api.buu.ac.th/getip/?url=https://ocrvluxurycoaches.com
https://usachannel.info/amankowww/url.php?url=https://www.www.ocrvmotorsports.biz
Your style is unique compared to other people I've read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this blog.
http://webourgeon.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=rvmarketingexperts.com
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article. Many thanks for supplying this info.
http://comicbookframers.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=sprinterrepairnearme.com
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. There's no doubt that that you ought to write more about this issue, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don't speak about such issues. To the next! Many thanks!!
http://search.boardingate.com/cgi-bin/redirect?TYPE=URL&PARAMS=anglesey&C=136&X=1&AGENT=user1&TARGET=https://fleetservicerepairshop.com/
http://www.linuxadvocates.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleetrepairshops.com
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Thank you for supplying this information.
http://www.prototypes.biz/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=commercialvanrepairshop.com
An impressive share! I've just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I discovered it for him... lol. So allow me to reword this.... Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to talk about this subject here on your web page.
http://www.charlie-dont-surf.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=sprintervanrepairnearme.com
http://www.resortreservations.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=theocrv.com
This site was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I've found something that helped me. Thanks a lot!
http://kurose96.or.tv/ys4/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=217&url=https://backbonehunters.com
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?key=-1&url_num=2&url=http://backbonehunters.com/
http://list-unsubscribe.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.backboneleaders.com
Hi there! I simply wish to offer you a big thumbs up for the great info you have got here on this post. I am coming back to your web site for more soon.
https://www.hypercomments.com/api/go?url=https://www.www.backbonehunters.com
https://sc.devb.gov.hk/TuniS/www.backbonehunters.com
https://www.epubli.de/shop/buch/90620/go?link=http://backbonehunters.com/
I need to to thank you for this great read!! I absolutely loved every bit of it. I have you book marked to look at new stuff you postÖ
https://home.putclub.com/link.php?url=http://backboneleaders.com/
I truly love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you make this site yourself? Please reply back as Iím looking to create my own personal website and would love to know where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Kudos!
http://www.london.umb.edu/?URL=http://www.backboneleaders.com
I couldnít resist commenting. Perfectly written!
https://foaf-visualizer.gnu.org.ua/?url=https://backbonehunters.com
This website was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Kudos!
https://r.turn.com/r/click?id=f6wz9fvWpSEJ7QEA4QUBAA&url=http://backbonehunters.com/
Hello there, I believe your site could be having web browser compatibility problems. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, fantastic website!
http://iacconline.org/Redirect.aspx?destination=backboneleaders.com
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes which will make the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!
http://sintesi.provincia.brescia.it/portale/LinkClick.aspx?link=https://www.backbonehunters.com/&mid=872
The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn't fail me just as much as this particular one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I actually believed you would have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something you could possibly fix if you weren't too busy searching for attention.
http://irp.005.neoreef.com/system/sysapps/general/linkclick.aspx?tabid=680&table=links&field=itemid&id=271&link=https://backboneleaders.com
I need to to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have got you bookmarked to look at new stuff you postÖ
https://www.worldcruising.com/extern.aspx?ctype=1&adid=89&pagid=0&src=https://www.backbonehunters.com
https://es.catholic.net/ligas/ligasframe.phtml?liga=https://www.fleetservicesorangecounty.com/
https://polo-v1.feathr.co/v1/analytics/crumb?flvr=email_link_click&rdr=https://ryanhillinternational.com/
https://imefuture-embedded.partcommunity.com/3d-cad-models/iframe?return=http://sublimedir.net/Society/Relationships/?p=651
http://legacysso.wki.it/shared/sso/sso.aspx?url=http://hetwinkeltjerozenburg.nl/
http://emails.erieinsurance.com/ern40/c2.php?ERIN/37662445/139490/H/N/V/http://www.jhbss.com/comment/html/index.php?page=1&id=11718
/
Having read this I believed it was really informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
http://www.bitranet.com/adrotator/webdesigning.asp?url=http://freelancetd.com/viewtopic.php?t=9181
http://www.webclap.com/php/jump.php?url=http://111.68.103.26/
Iím impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog thatís both equally educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy that I found this during my search for something regarding this.
https://api.webconnex.com/v1/postmaster/track/click/4f8036d14ee545798599c8921fbfcd22/db005310dba511e89fb606f49a4ee876?url=http://counselforward.com/
May I simply say what a comfort to find somebody who really knows what they're talking about on the web. You certainly know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people must check this out and understand this side of your story. It's surprising you're not more popular since you definitely possess the gift.
http://clients3.weblink.com.au/clients/aluminalimited/priceframe1.aspx?link=https://incomewolf.com/
https://opensesame.wellymulia.zaxaa.com/b/66851136?s=1&redir=https://informationsystem.in
/
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I've truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
https://www.ifashionstyles.com
https://starnewsonline.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com/
Hi, I do think this is a great site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will return once again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
http://jmdedu.com/news/151?url=ocrvcenter.com/
530719 999528Take a peek at the following suggestions what follows discover ideal method to follow such a mainly because you structure your small business this afternoon. earn cash 424505
Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe this site needs a lot more attention. Iíll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the information!
https://rosreestr.gov.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?goto=https://ocrvcenter.com
What is the difference between a blog and a website?
https://twitter.com/katekdesigns
Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I've read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I'll just bookmark this site.
https://rechtscentrum.de/ext_link.htm?page_url=http://ocrvcenter.com/
I could not refrain from commenting. Well written!
https://www.danubiushotels.com/inc/u/?ocrvcenter.com/&_ltra=dab4d1d3b7718c2c9e91a686f3ff7361.ltra.1613.12
This site truly has all the info I needed concerning this subject and didnít know who to ask.
https://www.cracking.com.ar/redir/redir.php?URL=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/
https://www.viz.me/Jordan/url/2?url=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I'm going to revisit once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
http://lambdafind.com/redirect.aspx?u=ocrvcenter.com
I quite like reading through a post that can make men and women think. Also, many thanks for allowing for me to comment!
http://1bid.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=oc-rv.com
Very nice write-up. I absolutely love this website. Keep it up!
http://cleanstation.biz/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.store/
I pay a quick visit day-to-day a few web pages and information sites to read articles, except this
website presents feature based articles.
Can I simply just say what a relief to discover an individual who really knows what they are discussing online. You definitely understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people really need to look at this and understand this side of your story. It's surprising you're not more popular given that you definitely have the gift.
http://dnatreatments.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvmotorsports.net
After looking at a handful of the blog posts on your site, I truly appreciate your way of writing a blog. I book marked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my web site as well and tell me what you think.
http://datewithdestiny.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.xyz/
http://powerguy.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvart.com
The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn't disappoint me as much as this particular one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read, but I truly thought you would have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something you can fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.
http://www.talad-pra.com/goto.php?url=http://ocrv.xyz/
http://www.legendsbk.biz/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=postfallsphotographer.com
http://checkclear.co.uk/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bulknearme.com
Itís hard to find well-informed people for this subject, however, you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
http://weddingbandcollection.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=postfallsmarketing.com
Very good post. I will be dealing with some of these issues as well..
http://www.rateplug.com/outway.asp?type=17&url=https://reviewnearme.com/
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful post. Thanks for providing this info.
http://deanacarter.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.info
https://www.eschenauer.at/request/url.php?link=https://meticulousjessmarketing.com/
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this site. I am hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own site now 😉
http://www.ferriswheel.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.today
Right here is the perfect web site for anybody who wants to understand this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need toÖHaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic that has been discussed for a long time. Great stuff, just wonderful!
http://www.royalhibernian.biz/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=rvmarketingexperts.com