I: TERRORIST ATTACKS ON U.S. FACILITIES IN BENGHAZI
“
If you guys don
’
t get here, we
’
re all going to f----ing die.
”
1
Diplomatic Security Agent in Benghazi during the attacks
“
I
’
m in Benghazi this week, lurking about with my eyes ever-peeled for RPG
’
s hurtling towards my motorcade!
”
2
Ambassador Christopher Stevens, to the U.K. Ambassador on the morning of September 11, 2012
“
We
’
re under attack
.
”
3
Ambassador Christopher Stevens, on the evening of September 11, 2012
1
Testimony of GRS 1, Central Intelligence Agency, Tr. at 33 (Mar. 1, 2016) [hereinafter GRS 1 Transcript] (on file with the Committee).
2
Email from J. Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, to personal account of Dominic A.G. Asquith, U.K. Ambassador to Libya (Sep. 11, 2012, 5:40 AM) (on file with Committee, C05390150).
3
Testimony of Gregory Hicks, Deputy Chief of Mission, Libya, U.S. Dep
’
t of State (page 18) (Apr. 11, 2013) [hereinafter Hicks April 2013 Transcript] (on file with the Committee).
I-2
BACKGROUND: SEPTEMBER 2012 AND THE AMBASSADOR
’
S TRIP TO BENGHAZI
Stevens
’
Decision to Travel to Benghazi
J. Christopher Stevens, a highly and widely respected diplomat, was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Libya on May 14, 2012.
4
Thirteen months earlier in 2011, while Libya was still in the throes of a civil war, Stevens courageously arrived in Benghazi, Libya on a Greek cargo ship to serve as the United States
’
Special Representative to the Transitional National Council [TNC].
5
Stevens remained Special Representative to the TNC for more than six months in 2011 and witnessed both the dictatorship of Muammar Qadhafi topple and the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, which had previously been evacuated at the beginning of the Libyan revolution in February of 2011.
6
Stevens left Benghazi in November of 2011, to return to the United States, where he would be nominated and confirmed as Ambassador to Libya.
7
Stevens had a deep affection for the Libyan people in general and the people of Benghazi in particular. He also knew Libya as well as anyone in the U.S. Foreign Service. He would soon learn much had changed in Libya from the time he left as Special Representative in November of 2011 until the time he returned as Ambassador in May of 2012. The Benghazi Mission compound where Stevens lived for several months in 2011 remained open while he was in the U.S. awaiting con-firmation as Ambassador. The Benghazi Mission compound was protect-
4
Public Schedule [for the Secretary of State] for May 14, 2012 found at www.State.gov/pa/prs/appt/2012/05/14/189814htm
5
U.S. Representative to TNC Stevens provides an update on Libya, DIPNOTE, August 3, 2011 found at https://blogs.state.gov/stories/2011/08/03/us-representative-t-n-c-stevens- provides-update-libya.
6
A Guide to the United States History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Rela-tions, by Country, Since 1776: [State Department/Office of the Historian] found at: https://history.state.gov/countries/libya.
7
Biography of J. Christopher Stevens, Ambassador, Libya, found at: https://state.gov/r/pa/ec/biog/193075.htm.
I-3
ed by Diplomatic Security Agents. The compound was staffed by a Prin-cipal Officer who provided political reporting on the changes occurring in Benghazi as the country attempted to recover after the revolution. In August of 2012, three months after Stevens returned to Libya as the newly confirmed Ambassador, the Principal Officer in Benghazi was nearing the end of his assignment. There would be a two-week gap be-tween the Principal Officer
’
s departure date and the arrival of the next Principal Officer.
8
No one was scheduled to fill this vacancy until Sep-tember
15, 2012, so Ambassador Stevens chose to send Principal Officer 4, to cover the vacancy during the first week in September.
9
Stevens chose himself to cover the second week.
10
According to Gregory N. Hicks, who as the Deputy Chief of Mission was second in command at the time, Stevens
“
very much wanted to get back to Benghazi
…
he had not been able to go since his own arrival in Tripoli
”
in May of 2012.
11
The timing of Stevens
’
visit to Benghazi was important for another rea-son as well. He was spearheading an effort to make Benghazi a perma-nent post, Hicks testified: One of the things he [Stevens] said to me was that, in his exit in-terview with Secretary Clinton, she expressed the hope that we could make the special mission in Benghazi a permanent constit-uent post. And Chris said that one of the first things he intended to do after his arrival was develop a proposal to move forward on that project.
12
A trip to Benghazi would allow Stevens to personally assess the political and security situation and make a recommendation regarding whether the U.S. should have a permanent presence there. Discussions were already under way in Washington D.C. on how to fund a permanent post. Hicks stated:
8
See
Hicks April 2013 Transcript at 9 (
“
[Principal Officer 3] left at the end of August, and the new Principal Officer was not arriving until scheduled to arrive until September 15th or thereabouts.
”
).
9
See id.
at 57 (
“
And so basically Chris announces at the meeting that [Principal Officer 4] is going to go to Benghazi to cover the first week in the gap, first week in September, and that he would cover the second week.
”
).
10
See id.
11
Id
. at 9.
12
Id.
at 7.