Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi held its second hearing on the implementation of the Accountability Review Board (ARB) recommendations following the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. It also examined the protocol and effectiveness of security upgrade prioritization of U.S. Embassies by the State Department. Below is Congressman Westmoreland's statement.
"In this second hearing, we had an opportunity to follow up with the State Department on many of the embassy security questions we didn't get answered in September," stated Westmoreland. "What we've learned is that the ARB providing closed recommendations does not mean that the problem has been fixed. The State Department's physical security upgrade protocol and prioritization system, especially for high threat posts, need to be thoroughly evaluated so that American diplomats have the best protection available."
"We have a long way to go in this investigation and I want the American people to be confident that the buck stops here. We owe it to the victims and their families, as well as all other Americans serving in the U.S. Embassies across the world, to conduct a fair and impartial investigation so the American people can finally know the truth."
The Select Committee on Benghazi was created by Speaker of the House John Boehner to investigate the events leading up to, during, and after the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. In addition to the Select Committee on Benghazi, Congressman Westmoreland also serves as Chairman of Oversight and Investigations on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.