Lawyer up, Issa warns CIA staff

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is pushing ahead with his investigation of last year’s fatal attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, by preparing federal agencies to allow employees to lawyer up.

In separate letters to the legal offices of the CIA, State Department and Defense Department, Issa said some witnesses on the issue might need lawyers, if their agencies decide to retaliate against them for their testimony.

“During the course of the investigation, numerous individuals have approached the committee with information related to the attack,” wrote Issa in the letters, which were obtained by The Hill.

He asked agencies to provide details on how to grant outside attorneys the security clearances necessary for them to adequately represent employees discussing classified matters with congressional investigators.

“Some witnesses may be required to retain personal counsel to represent them before the committee and in the event the agency subsequently retaliates against them for cooperating with the committee’s investigation,” he said.

“Additional witnesses may be compelled by subpoena to give testimony to the committee and can be reasonably expected to retain personal counsel at that time.”

The letters are the latest sign that Issa is ramping up his investigation of the Benghazi attack and potential security and managerial failures that led up to it. He initially launched the probe last year, about a month after the attack.

The move comes as more than 100 rank-and-file Republicans have increased their pressure on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to create a 19-member select committee to look into the attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.

Since then, 106 lawmakers have signed on to a resolution from Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) calling for a select committee.

Boehner has argued that a select committee would be expensive and time-consuming to create, and has called for standing committees to investigate the matter.

Further involvement by Issa, who has subpoena power on Oversight, could bolster Boehner’s argument.

Issa also warned the agencies against taking negative action toward any employees that help his panel with its investigation.

“[I]t is important that the agency makes clear to its employees that they are free to furnish information to Congress in accordance with their statutory rights,” wrote Issa.

“Additionally, retaliation against a witness who communicates with the committee can be considered obstruction of a congressional investigation and is punishable by fine and imprisonment.”

In addition to Issa’s Oversight panel, the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Judiciary committees have also probed the 2012 attack. An interim staff report is expected to be released next week in an attempt to allay concerns that the House is not acting quickly enough on the issue.

As Issa pushes forward with his investigation, it could threaten the bipartisan tone and relationship he has worked to build with the panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), since the beginning of the year.

While Cummings is generally supportive of the probe, many Democrats have voiced concerns that it could carry a political bent. They point to Issa’s first hearing, which was held less than a month before the 2012 presidential election while the House was in pro-forma sessions. Democrats speculated that the special hearing was an attempt to undermine President Obama’s foreign policy credentials — an area that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney struggled to present a successful challenge to.

This really is simply no laughing matter. In the history of the Republic this is likely the greatest treason perpetrated against it.

You need to know that the whole purpose of the ambassador being in Benghazi was to promote gun running to AlQeada for the purpose of helping the rebels in Syria. The American public didn't want to provide guns to the rebels so Obama decided to just give Lybia's weapons to Syrias rebels. But that isn't all, unfortunately not by far. AlQeada wanted the blind Sheik. In order for us to get their cooperation they needed us to hand him over. You may recall the Blind Shiek instigated the 1st bombing of the World Trade Center. This time the plan was that there would be a bloodless takeover of the embassy in Benghazi. The ambassador would be kidnapped and there would be a trade, the Blind Sheik for the Ambassador. All was well except that nobody bothered to tell the security people or the ambassador about it so they tried to protect themselves. That shouldn't have mattered, Clinton had recently sent a letter to the military staff in Benghazi taking their ammunition away from them, they no longer carried loaded weapons. They had rifles but no ammo. On top of that the staff was reduced to only a token number of people. The Ambassador was begging for more. The ex-Green Berets a mile away did have ammo though and they heard about what was happening. As soon as they started killing up on AlQeada all bets were off. AlQeada started killing in return since the Americans weren't keeping their part of the bargain. A treacherous plan gone bad and lives lost on account of it. Nobody got what they wanted and the administration simply acts like it was just a bad day at the office.

If the truth ever comes out in the mainstream press it could be curtains for this administration but that will never happen because the press carries water for these people. It will be up to the Republicans in Congress to get the truth of this operation out into the light of day. Oh how I hope they do. Oh how I hope the American people finally feel the disgust I feel when ever I hear the name Obama or Clintont want to provide guns to the rebels so Obama decided to just give Lybia

..Obama meets with Saudi foreign minister, discusses Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the White House on Wednesday and discussed the conflict in Syria, a spokeswoman said. The meeting was not on Obama's public schedule.

The spokeswoman, Caitlin Hayden, said the president joined a meeting between the Saudi official and Obama's national security adviser, Tom Donilon.

"The president and Prince Saud al-Faisal reaffirmed the strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia and discussed developments in the region, including the conflict in Syria," Hayden said in a statement.

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