A news report indicates that Ambassador Christopher Stevens turned down an offer of additional security in the weeks before the attack on Benghazi:
U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens — one of the four people killed in the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack at in the U.S. post in Benghazi, Libya — twice declined a senior U.S. military official’s offer to have added security assistance, according to a McClatchy News report.
McClatchy News reported Tuesday that two unnamed government officials told them that it’s still unclear why Stevens would turn down the offer.
In the weeks before the attack, Stevens met in Germany with Army Gen. Carter Ham, then-head of the U.S. Africa Command, and Ham told Stevens he could provide him more military security. But Stevens declined the offer
“He didn’t say why. He just turned it down,” an unnamed defense official told McClatchy.
Conservatives have heavily criticized President Barack Obama’s administration — including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — for their handling of the Benghazi attack, in part because of what they say was a lack of security at the post.
While this may seem inconsistent given his requests to the State Department for additional security, it’s worth noting that Ambassador Stevens only took a minimal guard to Benghazi when he made his trip there on September 11th.
