a) Was there a cover-up of the events that occurred that night?
No. Conspiracy theorists have tried to make this claim by challenging then US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice's initial statements that the events stemmed from a protest over an anti-Islamic video and that she deliberately downplayed any role played by al-Qaeda. The Committee concluded that the contradictory intelligence information at the time (21 reports at the time indicated the violence did start with a protest) led to Rice's statements. Although an al-Qaeda role has since been determined, this information was not clear a few days after the attack when Rice made her statements.
In fact, many participants in the attack have subsequently stated they were motivated by the video. As the report states, a "mixed group" of individuals, including some linked to al Qaeda, participated in the attack. "To this day," the report said, "significant intelligence gaps regarding the identities, affiliations and motivations of {all} the attackers remain."
b) Could US officials have done more to save the four Americans killed?
No, the Committee's report states that CIA personnel "bravely assisted" that night and responded not just well to the attack, but heroically. In fact, their actions saved lives.
c) Was there was a "stand down" order, as some critics have claimed?
No, the Committee reports that there was no such order to any CIA response team, nor was there any opportunity for a military rescue.
d) Was there intimidation of witnesses by superiors?
No, the Committee found no evidence that anyone was intimidated to prevent them from addressing Congress or revealing what they witnessed.
e) Was the CIA covertly shipping arms from Libya to Syria?
No, the Committee found that the CIA was not involved in this or any other unauthorized activity.
We find the timing of the report interesting, as the Committee held off releasing the report until after the November elections, thereby allowing the far right to continue, through the election cycle, their two-year attempt to mislead the American public on the truth surrounding the Benghazi tragedy.
