Bill Text: MO HR3012 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: HR on Benghazi
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-16 - Referred: General Laws(H) [HR3012 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2014-HR3012-Introduced.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES CURTMAN (Sponsor), DAVIS, WHITE, HANSEN, BERRY, BAHR, PARKINSON, MCGAUGH AND BRATTIN (Co-sponsors).
WHEREAS, on the evening of September 11, 2012, a heavily armed group of 125 to 150 terrorists attacked the American diplomatic consulate in Benghazi, Libya, brutally killing J. Christopher Stevens, United States Ambassador to Libya, and Sean Smith, a United States Foreign Service Information Management Officer; and
WHEREAS, several hours later, in the early morning of the next day, a second assault, which included machine gun, rocket, and mortar fire, targeted a nearby CIA annex in a compound approximately one mile from the Benghazi diplomatic consulate, killing Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty, members of the embassy security detail; and
WHEREAS, initially, President Obama's administration and the United States Department of State blamed the Benghazi attacks on a spontaneous protest against a video entitled "Innocence of Muslims"; and
WHEREAS, on September 14, 2012, in a press briefing White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that "we don't have and did not have concrete evidence to suggest that this was not in reaction to the film...We have no information to suggest that it was a preplanned attack. The unrest we've seen around the region has been in reaction to a video that Muslims, many Muslims find offensive. And while the violence is reprehensible and unjustified, it is not a reaction to the 9/11 anniversary that we know of, or to U.S. policy"; and
WHEREAS, on September 16, 2012, Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice appeared on five major interview shows to discuss the attacks. Prior to her appearance, Rice was provided with "talking points" from a CIA memo. Using these talking points as a guide, Rice stated, "Based on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo were, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy - sparked by this hateful video"; and
WHEREAS, on September 25, 2012, in an address before the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama stated, "The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America...And there should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice.". President Obama referred to the video as "a crude and disgusting video [that] sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world". He further stated, "There is no video that justifies an attack on an Embassy."; and
WHEREAS, on September 26, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged a possible link between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Benghazi attack; and
WHEREAS, on October 4, 2012, 22 days after the attack, FBI investigators were finally allowed access to the scene of the attacks. The crime scene was not secured during that time; and
WHEREAS, in the months following the Benghazi attacks, Congressional and administration investigations have been launched, with much debate and controversy over the events before, during, and after the attacks; and
WHEREAS, in August 2013, it was reported that the United States had filed criminal charges against several individuals, including militia leader Ahmed Abu Khattala, for alleged involvement in the attacks. To date, few arrests have been made, with no arrests by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and no one has yet been prosecuted for the attacks; and
WHEREAS, on December 19, 2012, Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request with the Department of State. When the Department of State failed to respond to the request by February 4, 2013, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit, which resulted in the release of seven photographs. On April 18, 2014, Judicial Watch released more than 100 pages of documents obtained through the FOIA lawsuit; and
WHEREAS, one of the emails from White House advisor Ben Rhodes underscored a key goal of the White House call to Susan Rice prior to her interviews on September 16, 2012, as "To underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy"; and
WHEREAS, the documents released by Judicial Watch indicate that it was known from the outset that Islamic terrorists planned and coordinated that the attacks on the consulate in Benghazi; and
WHEREAS, despite Congressional subpoenas requesting release of all documents related to the Benghazi attacks, President Obama's administration failed to release documents or heavily redacted documents to Congress that were ultimately turned over to Judicial Watch pursuant to a FOIA lawsuit; and
WHEREAS, huge sections of 41 of the unclassified documents released under the FOIA lawsuit are blacked out and there are discrepancies between emails released to Congress and the same emails to Judicial Watch; and
WHEREAS, 20 months after the Benghazi attacks which resulted in the murder of four Americans, the complete truth about what occurred before, during, and after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya is still unknown; and
WHEREAS, the American people deserve to know the truth about these events to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice, steps are taken to prevent future terrorists attacks, and any persons responsible for failing to provide information to Congress and the American people are held accountable:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-seventh General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby strongly urges the United States Congress to continue investigating the September 11, 2012, terrorist attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya which resulted in the death of four American citizens; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, and each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.
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