INTERVIEWS OF WITNESSES BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE 2012 TERRORIST ATTACK IN BENGHAZI - VOLUME 9

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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 9 OF 11
Printed for the use of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the
2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi
(
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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
InterviewofErinPelton .......................................................................................... 1
InterviewofTeamChief,OfficeofTerrorismAnalysis ........................................ 171
InterviewofMattOlsen .......................................................................................... 173
InterviewofGentrySmith ...................................................................................... 429
InterviewofGRS4 .................................................................................................. 625
InterviewofOfficerA .............................................................................................. 627
InterviewofAdmiralJamesWinnefeld ................................................................. 629
Interview of Managing Director, Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing
andInnovation ..................................................................................................... 827
InterviewofRaymondMaxwell .............................................................................. 949
InterviewofEthanChorin ...................................................................................... 1057
InterviewofC–17Pilot ........................................................................................... 1091
InterviewofLibyanNational .................................................................................. 1235
InterviewofGeneralJohnKelly ............................................................................ 1237
InterviewofAdmiralKurtTidd ............................................................................. 1399
InterviewofPhysicalSecuritySpecialist .............................................................. 1487
(III)

INTERVIEW OF
ERIN PELTON
BEFORETHE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONEHUNDREDFOURTEENTHCONGRESS
SECONDSESSION
HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 11, 2016
2
APPEARANCES
FOR THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI
CRAIG MISSAKIAN, Deputy Chief Counsel
MARK GRIDER, Deputy General Counsel
MAC TOLAR, Senior Counsel
SUSANNE SACHSMAN GROOMS, Minority Staff Director/General Counsel
RONAK DESAI, Minority Counsel
ERIN O’BRIEN, Minority Detailee
FOR * * *
JONATHAN SU, Esq.
ANGELA WALKER, Esq.
Latham & Watkins
555 Eleventh Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, D.C. 20004
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Mr. Missakian. Let's go on the record.
Ms. ,welcome. AsIsaid,mynameisCraigMissakian. I'm
one of the lawyers for the majority staff. I'll begin by having the
other folks in the room introduce themselves to you. We can start with
the gentleman next to you.
Mr.Su. Okay. JonathanSufromLatham&WatkinsforMs. .
Ms. Walker. Angela Walker with Latham & Watkins for Ms. .
Ms. O'Brien. Erin O'Brien with the minority.
Mr. Desai. Ronak Desai with the minority staff.
Ms. Sachsman Grooms. I'm Susanne Sachsman Grooms from the
minority.
Mr. Grider. Mark Grider with the majority.
Mr. Missakian. Okay.
First,thankyouforattendingherevoluntarily. Iknowyoucame
down from New York. We appreciate the effort you put in.
Just a couple of ground rules before we get into the questioning.
The way this works is the majority and minority staffs switch off.
We'll ask you questions for an hour, and then we'll hand it over to
them, and they'll ask you questions for up to an hour, and we'll go
back and forth until we're done.
Hopefully we'll be finishing soon, and I've assured you that
you'll get out in plenty of time to make your plane, and I still expect
that to be the case.
Doyouunderstandthat,asyouanswerquestionsheretoday,you're
answering questions being posed to you by a congressional committee
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andthatifyouprovidefalseinformationyoumaybesubjecttocriminal
prosecution?
Ms. Yes.
Mr. Missakian. And do you understand that that does not change
even though the questions being asked of you are being posed to you
by staff as opposed to Members of Congress?
Ms. Yes.
Mr.Missakian. Isthereanyreasonwhyweshouldnotproceedwith
your interview today?
Ms. No.
Mr. Missakian. And do you have any questions before we begin?
Ms. I do not.
Mr. Missakian. Great.
EXAMINATION
BY MR. MISSAKIAN:
Q Let's start with the night of September 11th, 2012, the
night of the Benghazi attacks. First off, where were you that night?
A I was working until some point in the evening, and then I
was at home.
Q Okay. And, physically, where do you work? Or where did
you work, I should say.
A I worked at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New
York.
Q Okay. And how long had you worked at the U.N.?
A On September 11th?
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Q Yes, at that point in time.
A Somewhere between 5 and 7 weeks, I believe.
Q Where were you working before that?
A I was working at the National Security Council.
Q Here in Washington?
A That's correct.
Q What was your position with the National Security Council?
A I was director of communication and assistant press
secretary.
Q Who was your boss?
A Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes.
Q Okay. And how long had you been in the position at the
National Security Council before moving over to the U.N.?
A Approximately 1 year.
Q How did it come to pass that you moved from the NSC to the
U.N.?
A MypredecessorattheU.S.MissiontotheU.N.wasresigning
from his position, and there was an opening. And I interviewed with
Ambassador Rice, and she hired me for the job.
Q What was your specific title at the U.N.?
A Director of communications and spokesperson.
Q Did you know Ambassador Rice prior to taking that job?
A I had interacted with her previously on one occasion, but
I did not really know her.
Q SoonthenightofSeptember11th,orthedaySeptember11th,
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you were in New York at your office at the U.N.?
A At the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, yes.
Q U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Is that in the same
building as the U.N. or a different building?
A It is not.
Q It is not. Who else is there with you in whatever office
building you were in? From the U.S. Mission I mean.
A There is a staff of people who work at the mission. I had
my own office in that building.
Q Approximately how many people are on the staff there?
A I don't know exactly.
Q How many people are in the press office there for the U.S.
Mission again?
A Roughly 11.
Q And were you the head of that office?
A I was.
Q How did you first hear about the attacks in Benghazi?
A I don't recall.
Q Prior to hearing about the attacks in Benghazi, were you
aware of the protests in Cairo?
A I was.
Q How did you learn about those?
A I don't recall specifically.
Q Generally, how did you learn of it?
A I was aware of media reports around the developments in