State Dept security chief resigns after Benghazi
WASHINGTON (AP) - An administration official says the chief of the State Department's security service, one of his deputies and an official from the agency's Middle East bureau have resigned after a damning report that found systematic management failures responsible for a lack of security at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
The official said Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, and Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security, stepped down under pressure after the release of the report. The third official worked for the Bureau of Near East Affairs, but wasn't immediately identified, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss personnel matters publicly.
The leaders of the panel that reviewed the deadly Sept. 11 attack in Libya say insufficient security staffing led to the weaknesses at the diplomatic post in lawless Benghazi.
Admiral Mike Mullen says State Department bureaus hadn't assumed shared responsibility for security and that Libyan teams assigned to back up U.S. personnel hadn't performed well. He says the mission's security fell through bureaucratic cracks because buildings had been categorized as temporary.
Retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering said "They did the best they possibly could with what they had but what they had wasn't enough."
The two spoke shortly after briefing members of Congress behind closed doors. Earlier Wednesday, three State Department officials resigned under pressure after the report blamed security problems on management failures.
.png)
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.