Republican Rep. McKeon: State Department didn't ask for help before Benghazi

A senior House Republican says U.S. military forces weren't in a position to help those under attack at a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya because the State Department had failed to ask the Pentagon for help in securing the compound before the raid.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon, also says billions of dollars in cuts to the Defense Department's budget raise the potential for greater risk at U.S. posts overseas because there won't be enough troops and equipment available to provide security.

McKeon's remarks on Tuesday followed a closed-door briefing for committee members by Defense Department officials on the military's response to the Benghazi attack.

The California Republican declined to provide details from the classified briefing.