Cheney sees administration 'cover-up' in attack on US Consulate in Libya

The Hill
By Justin Sink -

Former Vice President Cheney said Tuesday that it appears that the Obama administration was attempting a cover-up in the aftermath of violent protests at the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead, including the ambassador.

"It looks to me like its gonna get messier and messier, and in fact, it looks like the administration’s been involved in a cover-up, claiming that it was all caused by this YouTube video when in fact, it was clearly the result of the developments with respect to al Qaeda and terrorism in North Africa," Cheney told Sean Hannity on his radio program.

Republicans have amplified criticism of the Obama administration in recent days, after the White House conceded that the violence was likely a planned terrorist attack and not in response to an anti-Islam video, as it had previously said. On Tuesday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) asked Secretary of State Hillary Clint to address whistleblower reports of previously undisclosed threats and attacks against the consulate and Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Wednesday pointed to the current investigation by the FBI and State Department in explaining why new details were emerging.

"I can tell you that from the moment our facility was attacked in Benghazi, the President's focus has been on securing our diplomats and facilities in Libya and around the world, and on bringing the killers to justice," Carney said. "At every step of the way, the administration has based its public statements on the best assessments that were provided by the intelligence community. As the intelligence community learned more information, they updated Congress and the American people on it."

"It's natural, obviously, as this investigation continues and more information is learned in that process, that new information is presented and we endeavor to convey that to you where appropriate and possible," Carney added.

But Cheney said the response from the White House "demonstrates that they don’t have a handle on foreign policy and national security matters."

"They like to go out and say, 'bin Laden is dead. Terrorism is dead, al Qaeda is dead, and, you know, we’re great in the foreign policy field,' but that’s hogwash," he continued. "First of all, the people who deserve credit are the intelligence professional who worked on that issue for 10 years and finally got on the trail of bin Laden. But secondly, that claim to be competent in the world of foreign affairs just goes down in flames when you look at what happened in Benghazi."