Did US have warning signs about Benghazi Consulate attack?
Reps. Louie Gohmert, Peter King weigh in
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," September 17, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: So, was the attack on the Benghazi consulate that killed four Americans including an ambassador and two Navy SEALs was a planned or not? Now, one would think this would be a simple yes or no answer, but as usual with this administration, it's complicated.
Over the weekend, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, she stuck to her talking point, saying that this was not premeditated. Oh, really? Let's watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N., "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": The best assessment we have today is that in fact this was not a pre-planned premeditated attack. That what happened initially, it was a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo as a consequence of the video.
RICE, "MEET THE PRESS"/NBC: Our current assessment is that what happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo. Almost a copycat of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video.
RICE, "FACE THE NATION"/CBS: What our assessment is as of the present, is in fact it began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Yes. Spontaneous. They had rocket propelled grenades in their back pocket at the right time. That's not what the Libyan president thinks. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FACE THE NATION"/CBS)
BOB SCHIEFFER, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: Was this a long planned attack as far as you know or what do you know about that?
PRESIDENT MOHAMED YOUSEF EL-MAGARIAF, LIBYA: The way these perpetrators acted and moved, I think we -- and they're choosing the specific date for this so-called demonstration, I think we have no -- this leaves us with no doubt that this has preplanned, determined -- predetermined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And joining me now for a "Hannity" investigation, we have the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and that is New York Congressman Pete King, and Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert.
You know, it's pretty sad, we live at a country at a moment where I believe the Libyan president and Libyan officials over this nonsense that our own government and this administration is saying.
REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, R-TEXAS: Absolutely, right. I put my former judge hat on. You look at the evidence. You've got a film, a video, a ridiculous video from somewhere, and it's out there for months. Nobody notices. It doesn't have any effect, and then all of a sudden Egyptian television, run by the Muslim Brotherhood -- nothing gets on that they don't approve of, Morsi could stop anything that goes -- and all of a sudden, they start blasting that right before 9/11, people get stirred up and all of a sudden spontaneously you have all these weapons show up and kill an ambassador?
HANNITY: We are being lied to, Congressman? The lie would be in a couple of areas. One is that this was spontaneous. 9/11, we didn't have extra security at our embassies? That is malpractice as far as I'm concerned.
REP. PETE KING, R-N.Y.: Actually, as far as Egypt, the embassy was actually warned that there would going to be heavy demonstrations in Cairo that day and yet, nothing was -- no one spoke to President Morsi, even though he gets $1.6 billion, he did nothing to protect us.
As far as Libya, that area of Libya, Benghazi, is an Al Qaeda stronghold, (INAUDIBLE), also has large numbers of forces there, and Al Qaeda and the Arabian, Al Qaeda (INAUDIBLE), all located in that part of Libya.
HANNITY: But we have the Libyan president, and we have high-ranking Libyan officials that have come out and are now saying that they gave a direct warning to the United States that this was coming and they knew it, and we did nothing?
KING: Well, it's been concerning about security -- forgetting even or not if this was planned, per se, it was, to me malpractice not to have security at that consulate on September 11th in the middle of Al Qaeda territory when the American ambassador is coming there, and also knowing that we did know there were large demonstrations planned for Cairo. To me, that is in defensible, and that also has to be investigated. It does.
HANNITY: And Valerie Jarrett, I read, she's going on vacation to Martha's Vineyard and she has more security than our ambassador. We lost two Navy SEALs in Benghazi. Two.
GOHMERT: Oh, not only did we lose them, Sean, but the statement that the press got said that a former Navy SEAL was killed running for cover?
HANNITY: What? Just the opposite is what I heard.
GOHMERT: Oh, yes. Well, the accounts, you can find them, well, the administration says that he was seeking cover, running for cover at the time he was killed.
But let me tell you, if you wonder, you say well there's not enough evidence, the fact that we have departments saying we are community partnering with these Muslim front organizations. If you want evidence of Muslim Brother influence in this administration, look at the fact that this is the only group of leaders in the entire world that is saying, oh, this -- this isn't because they hated America, it's not because they don't like our administration, it is all about a video. That's what they are being fed by their Muslim Brotherhood --
HANNITY: I want to know this question, Congressman King, because this is really important. We gave the Muslim Brotherhood two billion taxpayer dollars.
KING: Uh-huh.
HANNITY: We know that Morsi was the head of the Muslim Brotherhood.
KING: Right.
HANNITY: We know he recently met with mullahs in Iran and "Adolf Jr. Ahmadinejad."
KING: Right.
HANNITY: So, my question is when are we going to stop funding them and why didn't the president understand that the Muslim Brotherhood was the likely successor to Mubarak?
Why did they not see that? I said it on this program with you and other.
KING: Because they are hiding from reality. The fact is the president ever since he began the apology tour in the summer of 2009, has made apologies for these groups, the Muslim Brotherhood and others.
And the reason they don't want to admit this is a terrorist attack is because that shows their policies have failed and they have failed miserably. His entire policy in the Middle East has been a failure.
HANNITY: They are afraid of the scrutiny. Here we are 50 days out of an election as of tonight. So for political purposes they will willingly lie to the American people about what happened here? Why? So as to show that an apology --
KING: He says bin Laden is dead and because of his policies Al Qaeda no longer a force. For them to admit that Al Qaeda led this attack on our consulate --
HANNITY: Is a failure.
KING: The policy is a failure/
HANNITY: But he said he wasn't going to spike the football.
KING: That's all he did.
HANNITY: He went to Cairo and he said there I'm stopping torture in America. No enhanced interrogation, no bin Laden, no Gitmo, no bin Laden, no rendition --
GOHMERT: They look at us as weaker, and in fact just this afternoon we hear that the DOJ is now going to be investigating this incident.
HANNITY: The DOJ?
GOHMERT: DOJ. These guys are at war with us and we are preparing a criminal case for the courts? They are at war with us.
HANNITY: Read their mission statement, which says the Koran is our way, Sharia is the way and the highest honor is to die in the name of Allah.
KING: The president came out the morning after the attacks, he mentioned Libya, he didn't even mention Egypt. And yet Morsi turned his back on us. He was actually speaking in Arabic, encouraging a demonstration.
HANNITY: And they changed their tune four times. Even the president said it was terror after enormous criticism, and then Susan Rice goes out and says the opposite. They can't make up their mind, and the media wants to beat up Mitt Romney, which is driving me nuts.
GOHMERT: Look at what they send in the way of messages, July, the president has known members of terrorist organizations come to the White House. Come to the White House.
HANNITY: And no Bibi.
GOHMERT: The message is, go ahead. We will invite you to the White House.
HANNITY: When is Morsi coming next, in a month?
GOHMERT: They are already asking for the blind sheik. I can't imagine anything worse than this administration.
HANNITY: If they do that, the election is over. What they will do is they will put it off until after the election --
(CROSSTALK)
KING: He just meeting with Morsi, and not Netanyahu is a disgrace.
HANNITY: I have to go. Thanks.
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