Cheney says Clinton 'bears responsibility' for Benghazi

Former Vice President Dick Cheney (AP)

WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Dick Cheney said on “Fox News Sunday” that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “bears responsibility” for the State Department’s chaotic handling of the Benghazi terrorist attacks in Libya on Sept. 11, 2012.

“She was Secretary of State at the time that it happened -- she was one of the first in Washington to know about it,” Cheney said. “I think she clearly bears responsibility for whatever the State Department did or didn’t do with respect to that crisis.”

The attack on the compound led to the deaths of four Americans -- Ambassador Chris Stevens, foreign service officer Sean Smith, and former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

“I do think it’s a major issue,” Cheney said. “I don’t think we’ve heard the last of it yet.”

Earlier this month, a controversial House select committee was formed to look into the Benghazi attack – investigating the circumstances leading up to it and its aftermath.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, tapped South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy to head the newly-established committee.

Republicans have largely accused the Obama administration of trying to deceive the public about the true nature of the Al Qaeda-linked terrorist attack during the final months of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Obama, as well as Clinton, has strongly refuted those accusations.

Lynne Cheney, who was on with her husband and there to promote her new book, “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered,” took some heat earlier in the week for claiming Clinton was behind a recent article in “Vanity Fair” on White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

“I really wonder if this isn’t an effort on the Clintons’ part to get that story out of the way,” Lynne Cheney said during an appearance Tuesday on Fox News.

As the interview wrapped up, host Chris Wallace asked the former vice president what he thought of three 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls: Sen. Rand Paul, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

“Jeb’s a good guy, a good governor,” Cheney said.

On Christie: “I like him. I have not committed to anyone and will not for some time.”

Cheney’s response to Paul was a little icier.

“He’s obviously not familiar with facts,” Cheney said, referring to Paul charging that the former vice president used the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as an excuse to invade Iraq and benefit his former company Halliburton, a military contractor where Cheney had once been CEO.