The State Department’s internal review on Benghazi sought out answers, not top political appointees, explained the head of that review board, Ambassador Thomas Pickering.
“The purpose of the Accountability Review Board is to go below those who take responsibility,” he said. “To where the decisions were made—the Congress wanted to know where the decisions were made.”
Pickering stood by his review of the State Department’s handling of the deadly terrorist attack in Libya on Monday’s Morning Joe. He argued that then Sec. of State Hillary Clinton had taken responsibility for the attacks and holding her feet to the fire wasn’t what they had been asked to uncover.
“We had a very clear and very obvious indication of precisely where the decisions were made and where they were reviewed,” Pickering said.
Sec. of State Hillary Clinton “was not involved in it, and therefore there was no reason to question her.”
Last week’s testimony in front of the House’s Oversight & Government Reform committee reinforced his own report, Pickering said.
“I don’t believe anything has changed by the testimony last week, in fact, I believe it reinforced that,” he said.
Watch the full interview below.
Jane Timm