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Tragedy of benghazi we began to get more support from the congress. but one of the funds that is very important when you re actually talking about an american presence in the country goes back to questions that i was being asked by congresswoman duckworth. if we can help build up the libyan security forces, they are the host country. it is their responsibility to protect diplomatic posts. so i don t see these as unconnected. but it is true that we spent money for diplomatic security out of what the congress appropriated for diplomatic security. secretary clinton, charleen lam said it wasn t a budget issue. well, i can only tell you that security for our diplomatic post underfunding was very much in line with what i just said. we asked for money in this ....
Get more support from the congress. but one of the funds that is very important when you re actually talking about an american presence in the country, goes back to questions that i was being asked by congresswoman duckworth, if we can help build up libyan forces, they are the host country, it is their responsibility to protect diplomatic posts. so i don t see these as unconnected. but it is true that we spent money for diplomatic security out of what the congress appropriated for secretary clinton, charlene lam said herself it wasn t a budget issue. do you take issue with that statement? i can only tell you our analysis of the funding of security for our diplomatic posts was very much in line with what i have just said, we asked for money in this administration in the earlier years and we were ....
You look at the totality so we can learn the best lessons to try to yes, ma am. let me ask you about a little thing. you said you spent a lot of sleepless nights. and i can t imagine. and you said you often wondered what you could have done different? what did you come up with? well, a long list. a long list, congressman. give me the top two. well tor, to go back to the t congresswoman duckworth was raising about contractors. if we d had a more reliable security force in large enough numbers, well armed and well focused on protecting our compound. well, what could you have done different than what you did do? i m trying to tell you. i think if the militia that had been engaged by both the cia and the state department had been more reliable but you didn t have anything to do with that, you said. ....
Yield back. well, if i if i could just quickly respond, there was never a recommendation from any intelligence official in our government, from any official in the state department, or from any other person with knowledge of our presence in benghazi to shut down benghazi even after the two attacks that the compound suffered. and perhaps, you know, you would wonder why, but i can tell you that it was thought that the mission in benghazi, in conjunction with the cia mission, was vital to our national interests. the gentle lady from indiana yields back. i briefly recognize mr. cummings and ms. duckworth. thank you very much, mr. chairman. i just want to clarify, when i was asking secretary clinton a question a moment ago, i mentioned an e-mail that had gone from ambassador chris stevens to deputy secretary lamb. what i meant to say was a cable. and i just wanted to make sure the record was clear. the record will reflect that. ....
Everybody else. but what is the proper way to strike that balance going forward, to protect our personnel and still fulfill their mission? congressman, i think that is the most important question. i would certainly welcome congressional discussion and debate about this. because it s what with tried to do, going back to congresswoman duckworth s question. what we tried to do in the review. because that s exactly what we were facing. we have had diplomats and development professionals in war zones now for a number of years. we ve had them in places that are incredibly unstable and dangerous because of ongoing conflicts. it is i think the bias of the diplomacy corps that they be there, because that s what they signed up for. and they know if america is not ....