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Benghazi Update

May 10, 2013

Dear Friends,

I wanted to give you a quick update on what's going on in Washington with this week's developments on Benghazi. Earlier this week, the Committee on Government and Oversight Reform held a hearing called "Exposing Failure and Recognizing Courage" with three whistleblowers who agreed to testify so that Congress can continue investigating the deadly attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Americans deserve to know what really happened on September 11, 2012.

Here are some important facts we learned during this week's Benghazi hearing:

• The State Department's #2 official in Libya, US Diplomat Gregory Hicks was never interviewed by the FBI about the Benghazi attacks.
• According to testimony, FBI & Department of Defense assets were "shocked and amazed" that they weren't called in to help the victims.
• Those interviewed for the State Department's official report weren't given the chance to confirm their testimony was used appropriately and in proper context.
• According to Hicks, witnesses on the ground never reported a protest or demonstration.
• The Ansar al-Sharia terror group claimed responsibility for the attack while it was still taking place.
• Mr. Hicks was told by lawyers for the Obama Administration not to cooperate with Congress, and he said that Ambassador Susan Rice's inaccurate comments undermined US efforts in Libya and hampered the FBI's investigation.
• Representative Gowdy read a previously undisclosed email revealing just how early senior members of the State Department concluded that Benghazi was a terrorist attack. In a September 12 email from Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Beth Jones to Ambassador Susan Rice and several other top State officials, Jones said, full-stop, "The group that conducted the attacks, Ansar al-Sharia, is affiliated with Islamic terrorists." Only one day after the attack, senior State Department officials knew it was a terrorist attack.

Another important development was revealed today. Talking points used by President Obama and Ambassador Susan Rice were edited by the Administration far more extensively than previously admitted as revealed in a story by ABC News:

"When it became clear last fall that the CIA's now discredited Benghazi talking points were flawed, the White House said repeatedly the documents were put together almost entirely by the intelligence community, but White House documents reviewed by Congress suggest a different story. "

"ABC News has obtained 12 different versions of the talking points that show they were extensively edited as they evolved from the drafts first written entirely by the CIA to the final version distributed to Congress and to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice before she appeared on five talk shows the Sunday after that attack."

"White House emails reviewed by ABC News suggest the edits were made with extensive input from the State Department. The edits included requests from the State Department that references to the Al Qaeda-affiliated group, Ansar al-Sharia, be deleted as well references to CIA warnings about terrorist threats in Benghazi in the months preceding the attack."

This is a major concern, especially coming on the heels of Speaker Boehner's demand that the White House to turn over these emails so that the American people can judge how the Administration handled the attack. You can read more about this breaking news here.

We are still uncovering answers but one thing's for sure: this needs to be the beginning of the investigation, not the end. I will not give up until we learn the complete and total truth, and I will not stop digging until the victim's families have the justice they deserve.

To stay informed on the developments in this scandal, check out my Facebook or Twitter accounts where I will be posting information as often as I can.

Blessings and Liberty,
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Jeff Duncan
Member of Congress