Lawmakers Ask: Where Was President Obama During The Benghazi Attacks?

A headline in The Global Dispatch on Friday reads:

"Where Was President Obama During The Benghazi Attacks? Senators Graham, Ayotte And McCain Want To Know."

I can answer that question!

Here's the answer!

But apparently, while the aforementioned answer might be the most accurate answer, it is, nevertheless, not the answer that US lawmakers are seeking.

Senators Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Kelly Ayotte sent a letter to President Obama on Friday asking him to corroborate a statement made by former Communications Director for the National Security Council Tommy Vietor that President Obama was absent from the White House Situation Room on the afternoon and night of September 11, 2012 — while the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya was under attack.

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Mr. President,

Last night, the former Communications Director for the National Security Council, Tommy Vietor, stated that on the afternoon and night of September 11, 2012 — while the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya was under attack — that you never visited the White House Situation Room to monitor events.

Over a year and a half has passed since the terrorist attacks, and the American people still do not have an accounting of your activities during the attack. Mr. President, can you now confirm that Mr. Vietor’s account of your absence in the White House Situation Room is accurate?

Thank you again for your attention to this matter.

In addition, the Global Dispatch noted: The above mentioned Senators also applauded news the House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will create a Select Committee to investigate the 2012 Benghazi attacks. Sources said Boehner wants former prosecutor Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) to lead the committee, and that preference means Gowdy is likely to preside over the effort."

In a press release on Thursday, Mr. Boehner noted that, "The House used its subpoena power to obtain documents, including emails, last year, but these emails didn’t show up until now, after a court ordered their release to an outside watchdog group."

The House Majority Leader went on to say that, "This defiance of the House’s subpoena power is the most flagrant example yet of the administration's contempt for the American people’s right to know the truth about what happened when four Americans died in a fiery terrorist attack. If the White House won’t explain it, Secretary Kerry should come to the Capitol to explain why he defied an official congressional subpoena. And the White House needs to understand that this investigation will not end until the entire truth is revealed and justice and accountability are served.”

In a press release on Friday, Mr. Boehner announced his intention to create a Select Committee to investigate the Benghazi terrorist attacks.

“Americans learned this week that the Obama Administration is so intent on obstructing the truth about Benghazi that it is even willing to defy subpoenas issued by the standing committees of the People's House," Mr. Boehner said in the press release. "These revelations compel the House to take every possible action to ensure the American people have the truth about the terrorist attack on our consulate that killed four of our countrymen. In light of these new developments, the House will vote to establish a new select committee to investigate the attack, provide the necessary accountability, and ensure justice is finally served.

“The administration's withholding of documents – emails showing greater White House involvement in misleading the American people – is a flagrant violation of trust and undermines the basic principles of oversight upon which our system of government is built. And it forces us to ask the question, what else about Benghazi is the Obama administration still hiding from the American people?.. It’s clear that questions remain, and the administration still does not respect the authority of Congress to provide proper oversight. This dismissiveness and evasion requires us to elevate the investigation to a new level. I intend for this select committee to have robust authority, and I will expect it to work quickly to get answers for the American people and the families of the victims."

“Four Americans died at the hands of terrorists nearly 20 months ago, and we are still missing answers, accountability, and justice. It’s time that change.”

But in an interview with World Net Daily, Rep. Frank Wolf "warned [that] the committee must have complete subpoaena powers and be comprised of lawmakers and staff with expertise in these types of investigations, including seasoned lawyers and investigators.

I noted on Thursday:

The newly obtained documents on Benghazi that Judicial Watch [the outside watchdog group] received have been largely redacted by the Obama administration, making it virtually impossible to probe the true nature of the White House cover-up.

Will the administration adhere to the law, obey congress' subpoena order and hand over all the documents?

Probably not; the Obama administration is not subject to the laws of the land. Nevertheless, unless congress can obtain the documents in their original, unredacted form, well - to paraphrase a quote from Hillary Clinton - what difference does it make anyway?

Ultimately, it's difficult to find out the truth when the White House has the power, and the ability, to hide the truth......