A source told CBS News that FBI transcripts of interviews with Benghazi survivors were finally turned over to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday just days before the Brennan confirmation. Along with the transcripts, were other documents relating to the deadly September 11 attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi. Members of the committee have not examined the material yet.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R – S.C.) demanded for the FBI transcripts of Benghazi survivors back in December. Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R – UT) told Breitbart Newsthat the State Department was not allowing members of Congress to see those who survived the attack.
The documents that came from the White House is the second set to be sent to Congress. The initial set of documents related to the attack were considered “insufficient” due tomassive redactions:
“It was so redacted that there was no information whatsoever,” said the source, who spoke to Fox on the condition they not be identified. “There were some documents that were 100 pages with every word on the page redacted. They were worthless.” Hopefully these are not the same.
The documents that were sent on Thursday had appeared to have fewer redactions. They show that e-mail correspondence reveal “talking points” that were sent around the White House, the FBI, and the Justice Department. Fox News reported:
Sources said the emails revealed heavy editing by then-CIA Director David Petraeus. The talking points evolved as they were passed around various intelligence and security hubs, and scrubbed of language referring to “al Qa’ida.” They also seemed to indicate an effort to paint the Sept. 11 attack as a demonstration on a youtube video and not a planned terorist attack, the source said.
“The word ‘attacks’ was changed to ‘demonstration,’” the source said.
The confirmation vote for President Barack Obama’s CIA Director nominee John Brennan was threatened to be delayed further if pertinent documents relating to the assault on the U.S. consulate in Libya were not turned over to Congress in a timely manner. A committee vote is expected on Brennan’s nomination on Tuesday.
