On Monday's CBS This Morning, Sharyl Attkisson pointed out the "potential conflict of interest"
in the ongoing controversy over the Islamist attack on the U.S.
compound in Benghazi, Libya. Attkisson detailed how congressional
Republican are scrutinizing Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy's
involvement in naming staff to the Accountability Review Board, even as
it was investigating his role in the lead-up to the September 11, 2012
attack [MP3 audio available here [1]; video below].
It was Attkisson's first report about Benghazi on CBS's morning and evening newscasts since the May 8, 2013 edition of CBS This Morning. Her report that day was the first time in over five months [2] that the journalist reported about the story on the air.
Anchor Norah O'Donnell introduced the correspondent's report by noting
the "new congressional report...[on] the investigation of the attack
that killed America's ambassador to Libya one year ago and three other
Americans. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee claim the
Benghazi probe did not go far enough." Attkisson added that the State
Department investigation was "billed as 'comprehensive' and
'independent', but Republicans say it was not quite as advertised. They
say the A.R.B. faulted lower-level State Department employees, and
downplayed the roles of senior officials."
The CBS journalist led by pointing out that the head of Accountability
Review Board, Ambassador Thomas Pickering, "told Bob Schieffer that
investigators didn't need to interview Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton or her top deputies." She played a clip from the May 2013
interview on Face the Nation, and continued that "that decision to skip in-depth interviews with key officials is cited as evidence of a potential conflict of interest in today's Republican House Oversight Committee report. The report says State Department Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy supervised selection of the A.R.B. staff, even as his own role was part of the investigation."
Attkisson then detailed Kennedy's alleged role in the security failure at the diplomatic facility in Benghazi:
SHARYL ATTKISSON: Several State Department officials told congressional investigators that Kennedy
authorized the Benghazi compound to operate as a temporary facility
exempted from regular security guidelines, which posed security
challenges; and sent home the specialized military security team that
Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his staff had asked to keep in Libya.
The A.R.B. blamed four of Kennedy's subordinates for security lapses.
But State Department witnesses testified those employees sometimes had
little to no responsibility for the poor decisions.
Near the end of the segment, the CBS correspondent noted that "congressional Democrats and the State Department defend the A.R.B. as one of the most comprehensive reviews in history. The lead Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Elijah Cummings, said – quote, 'Republicans have politicized the investigation, in a systemic effort to launch unsubstantiated allegations.' The fight will continue later this week, when Pickering is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee."
On September 10, 2013, Attkisson reported on Twitter [3] that Secretary of State John Kerry "tells [C]ongress he will not honor the request to make Benghazi survivors available for questioning." Her scoop about Kerry never made it to the air [4] on CBS's morning and evening newscasts. The following day, CBS Evening News did broadcast a full report [5] on the State Department's lack of progress in strengthening security at U.S. diplomatic posts since the Benghazi attack, but let the Obama administration and Democratic Senator Robert Menendez hint that congressional Republicans were at fault.
The full transcript of Sharyl Attkisson's report from Monday's CBS This Morning:
NORAH O'DONNELL: A new congressional report this morning targets the investigation of the attack that killed America's ambassador to Libya one year ago and three other Americans. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee claim the Benghazi probe did not go far enough.
Sharyl Attkisson is on Capitol Hill. Sharyl, good morning.
SHARYL ATTKISSON: Good morning, Norah. It was billed as 'comprehensive' and 'independent', but Republicans say it was not quite as advertised. They say the A.R.B. faulted lower-level State Department employees, and downplayed the roles of senior officials.
[CBS News Graphic: "Benghazi Review: Congress: State Department Report Was Flawed"]
ATTKISSON (voice-over): Last May, the head of the Accountability Review Board, Thomas Pickering, told Bob Schieffer that investigators didn't need to interview Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or her top deputies.
BOB SCHIEFFER (from May 12, 2013 interview of CBS's "Face the Nation"): Do you think, in retrospect, it might have been a good idea to question her and some of these other ranking officials?
AMB. THOMAS PICKERING, ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW BOARD CHAIRMAN: I think that we knew and understood, because we had questioned people who had attended meetings with her.
ATTKISSON: That decision to skip in-depth interviews with key officials is cited as evidence of a potential conflict of interest in today's Republican House Oversight Committee report. The report says State Department Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy supervised selection of the A.R.B. staff, even as his own role was part of the investigation.
Several State Department officials told congressional investigators that Kennedy authorized the Benghazi compound to operate as a temporary facility exempted from regular security guidelines, which posed security challenges; and sent home the specialized military security team that Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his staff had asked to keep in Libya.
[CBS News Graphic: "(Patrick Kennedy's Subordinates:) Raymond Maxwell; Eric Boswell; Charlene Lamb; Scott Bultrowicz"]
The A.R.B. blamed four of Kennedy's subordinates for security lapses. But State Department witnesses testified those employees sometimes had little to no responsibility for the poor decisions.
Last May, Pickering explained why the A.R.B. didn't hold Kennedy responsible.
PICKERING: We believe, in fact, that while he made a significant decision to keep the post open, he was not a security specialist; he was not engaged in a daily review of the decision-making that took place – that we felt, in some cases, was seriously flawed.
ATTKISSON (on-camera): Congressional Democrats and the State Department defend the A.R.B. as one of the most comprehensive reviews in history. The lead Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Elijah Cummings, said – quote, 'Republicans have politicized the investigation, in a systemic effort to launch unsubstantiated allegations.' The fight will continue later this week, when Pickering is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee. Charlie and Norah?
CHARLIE ROSE: Thanks, Sharyl.