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The state department has historically and certainly before this terrible incident not had the amount of money that we thought would be necessary to do what was required to protect everyone. so of course there had to be priorities. and that was something that the security professionals dealt with. i think that both admiral mullen and ambassador pickering made it very clear that they thought that the high-threat post should move to a higher level of scrutiny, and we had immediately moved to do that. >> thank you. >> i thank the gentleman. the chair will now recognize the gentle lady from indiana...

Help. now, one of the problems we faced is that the libyans did not really feel that they could welcome a peacekeeping mission. they couldn't welcome foreign troops to their soil. that made it really difficult. and it didn't have to be american twooproops. it could have been troops from anywhere in the world under a u.n. mandate that might have helped them begin to secure their country. >> secretary, if i may, i hear what you're saying, but this e-mail says something very, very different. >> you know, i can't speak to that. i can just tell you what i was doing and i was doing a lot. >> sure, b...

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 a...

Answered over again. you might want to just elaborate and just -- i'll give you -- i have a minute and seven seconds. >> well, thank you, congressman. i think there has been some confusion, and i welcome the opportunity to try to clarify it to the best of my ability with respect, as you rightly point out, the claims that were made by the cables. i think you have explained the fact, which is that it's the longstanding tradition of the state department for cables from around the world to be sent to and sent from the state department under the signature, over the signature of the secretary of sta...