INTERVIEWS OF WITNESSES BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE 2012 TERRORIST ATTACK IN BENGHAZI - VOLUME 5

16.3 MB·English

by  Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi

INTERVIEWS OF WITNESSES
BEFORETHE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON
THE EVENTS SURROUNDING
THE 2012 TERRORIST
ATTACK IN BENGHAZI
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, 2012–2016
VOLUME 5 OF 11
Printed for the use of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the
2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi
(
Available on the Internet:
www.fdsys.gov
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
22–349 WASHINGTON :2016
ForsalebytheSuperintendentofDocuments,U.S.GovernmentPublishingOffice
Internet:bookstore.gpo.gov Phone:tollfree(866)512–1800;DCarea(202)512–1800
Fax:[phone] Mail:StopIDCC,Washington,DC20402–0001
HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI
TREY GOWDY, South Carolina, Chairman
LYNN WESTMORELAND, Georgia ELIJAH CUMMINGS, Maryland
JIM JORDAN, Ohio Ranking Minority Member
PETER ROSKAM, Illinois ADAM SMITH, Washington
MIKE POMPEO, Kansas ADAM SCHIFF, California
MARTHA ROBY, Alabama LINDA SA´NCHEZ, California
SUSAN BROOKS, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
PROFESSIONAL STAFF
PHILIP G. KIKO, Staff Director and General Counsel
SUSANNE SACHSMAN GROOMS, Minority Staff Director
(II)
CONTENTS
Page
InterviewofNEA/EXPostManagementOfficerforLibya .................................. 1
Interview of Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications, Near Eastern Af-
fairsBureau .......................................................................................................... 263
InterviewofAmbassadorGeneCretz .................................................................... 447
InterviewofAmbassadorRoseMaryA.DiCarlo ................................................... 619
InterviewofJoanPolaschik .................................................................................... 773
InterviewofDiplomaticSecurityAgent#30 ......................................................... 1055
InterviewofDiplomaticSecurityAgent#17 ......................................................... 1177
InterviewofRexonRyu ........................................................................................... 1227
InterviewofCIFCommander ................................................................................. 1395
InterviewofContractingOfficer ............................................................................. 1513
(III)

INTERVIEW OF
NEA/EX POST MANAGEMENT
OFFICER FOR LIBYA
BEFORETHE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONEHUNDREDFOURTEENTHCONGRESS
FIRSTSESSION
HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 23, 2015
2
APPEARANCES
FOR THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI
DANA CHIPMAN, Chief Counsel
SHARON JACKSON, Deputy Chief Counsel
SARA BARRINEAU, Investigator
SHERIA CLARKE, Counsel
KIM BETZ, Member Outreach Liaison
HEATHER SAWYER, Minority Chief Counsel
PETER KENNY, Minority Senior Counsel
FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
AUSTIN EVERS, Senior Advisor
3
4
Ms. Jackson. We'll begin. This is a transcribed interview
of conducted by the House Select Committee on
Benghazi. This interview is being conducted voluntarily as part
of the committee's investigation into the attacks on the U.S.
diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya in matters related to and
pursuant to House Resolution 567 of the 113th Congress and House
Resolution 5 of the 114th Congress.
Ms. , would you state your full name for the record,
please.
Ms.
Ms. Jackson. Okay. We appreciate your appearance here
today. Thank you for coming in. At least it's not 110 heat index
today, so the humidity is down a little bit.
I've introduced myself before, but my name is Sharon Jackson.
I am one of the counsels for the majority staff of the committee.
I'd like everyone to go around and introduce themselves. You are
accompanied here today by?
Mr. Evers. Austin Evers from the State Department.
Ms. Sawyer. Heather Sawyer with the minority staff.
Mr. Kenny. Peter Kenny with the minority staff.
Ms. Clarke. Sheria Clarke, majority staff.
Mr. Chipman. I'm Dana Chipman with the majority staff.
Ms. Betz. Kim Betz with the majority staff.
Ms. Barrineau. Sara Barrineau with the majority staff.
4
5
Ms. Jackson. Okay. As with anything, we have some
procedural issues that we have to go over with you first today
just to make sure that you understand, I'm sure you've talked with
Austin, who is here representing the State Department today as its
counsel. But I'd like to go over the ground rules and explain how
this interview will proceed.
The way we generally operate is that the majority staff will
ask you questions for up to 1 hour and then the minority staff
will ask questions for the next hour, and we'll rotate back and
forth in that manner until each side has exhausted all of the
questions that they have.
Under our rules, questions may only be asked by a member of
the committee or a designated staff member. And I don't
anticipate that we're going to have any members of the committee
here today, but you never know. One or more might come in during
the duration of your testimony or your statement today.
Unlike testimony in a deposition or in a Federal court, the
committee's format is not bound by the rules of evidence. The
witness or your personal counsel may raise objections for
privilege subject to review by the chairman of the committee. If
those objections cannot be resolved in the hearing, you can be
required to return for a deposition or a hearing.
Members and staff of the committee, however, are not
permitted to raise objections when the other side is asking
questions. This has not been an issue that we've encountered in
5
6
the past, but I just raise it as it's one of our procedural rules.
This session is to begin unclassified. If any question posed
by myself or the minority staff calls for a classified answer,
please let us know, and we will reserve it until we are in a more
appropriate setting. We do have a classified setting reserved for
later this afternoon, and so we can move into a classified
setting.
In preparation for today, I have limited my questions to
documents that pertain to matters that have been marked
unclassified, but again, if you feel that any answer you would be
required to give moves into a classified matter, just let us know.
You are welcome to confer with Mr. Evers at any time
throughout the interview, but if something just needs clarified,
we ask that you ask the question to be restated or ask again in
some matter. It is important to us that you understand the
questions before giving your answer. But if you would like to
confer with Mr. Evers, please just let us know, we'll go off the
record, and you can have as much time as you need to consult with
him.
We will also take a break whenever it's convenient to you.
Generally, we do this after every hour of questioning because
everybody needs to stretch their legs and things like that, but if
you need a break before then, please just let us know. Again, we
will go off the record and take a break.
We have water here. We have a coffee maker. I see you
6
7
brought your own form of caffeine this morning, but if you need
another, just let us know, and we'll take a break so that you can
do that. We are going to try and make this process as easy and
comfortable as possible.
As you can see, we have an official reporter here taking down
everything that is said, questions that are asked, answers that
are given, so we ask that you give verbal responses to all
questions, and we also ask, and I am to be blamed for this too, is
to not talk over each other. I will try and be very conscious of
letting you finish an answer before I go into the next question,
and if you, too, could not start answering a question until the
question is complete.
We also will take our time today. And again, if you need
anything repeated or clarified, please let us know. We want you
to answer our questions in the most complete and truthful manner
possible. So we would be happy to clarify or re-ask.
We understand that there has been a passage of time and that
memories are not as sharp, and I can say from given my age, my
memory is not as sharp as it used to be, but we are asking that
you give your best recollection of events.
Again, we are not bound by the rules of evidence, so we may
ask your opinion or to speculate on something, but again, we want
you to give us your best recollection of events that happened.
As I used to say when I was a trial lawyer, we were never
there when the events unfolded, and so we have to bring in those