Transcribed and edited by Jenny Jiang

Partial transcript of Q&A between Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the attacks against the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing was held on Jan. 23, 2013: 

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.): 

…And also I want to commend not just the approach but the words you spoke today about not retrenching, not retreating, when it comes to getting that balance right between engagement and also security – both high priorities.

I was struck by and I’m glad you were so specific on page 3 of your testimony about the specifics on the implementation – 29 recommendations by the board, which now has found its way into or I should say a set of 64 specific action items.

You said in your testimony “fully 85% are on track to be completed by the end of March, with a number completed already.”

I’ll ask you one question about that and one follow-up. What, if any, impediments to implementation do you perceive right now? And are there impediments to meeting those deadlines that this committee and the Congress can help you with by way of meeting that deadline and implementation?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

…Let me say that we need your help – we need you help, number one, to hold us accountable.

You know, to keep asking whoever sits in this chair or anybody else in the department with any responsibility in this area “What are you doing?” and “How are you doing it?” And it’ll help to clear up misconceptions, like “No ARB recommendations have been fully implemented” which I know is not the case. But it’ll also help keep driving the change.

You know, I really believe that an authorization process will dramatically change the dynamic and I strongly urge it be tried.

And again, I go back to my Armed Services Committee experience with Sen. McCain over those years. We had subcommittees. We took it very seriously. We held hearings. We brought people in. We had a three-day mark-up that was sacrosanct but we also had the quadrennial defense review – the QDR – where the Defense Department submitted that and it helped to provide a framework.

So when I got to the State Department, I said there is nothing like that at the State Department so I started the first-ever quadrennial diplomacy and development review – the first ever QDDR. You can help me continue that and make the department have to ask the hard questions if you legislate it the way the QDR is legislated for the defense department.

Secondly, you can help by making sure that the needs we come to you with – like what are the training needs, the budgetary needs, the bureaucratic changes that are needed – that you help support that.

And certainly, we’ve talked a little bit about the budget but getting that transfer authority – if you can help us with the House – it’s $1.4 billion.

Marine security guard detachment $553 million. We’ve been closely coordinating with DOD. Historically, Marine security guards do not do personal security; they only do protection of classified materials. So we’re working through what the guards will do and how we can use more of them.

Secondly, more diplomatic security personnel – $130 million. That would fund an additional 155 DS personnel and related equipment.

And then facilities construction upgrades – $736 million.

We’re going to have periodic reviews by these teams I started – the Defense-State inter-agency security assessment teams. We’re going to start a high-threat post review by the Secretary, which had not happened before.

We’re going to strengthen the mutual security agreements between the State Department and other government agencies when they are no co-located. We had a very good relationship with the Annex in Benghazi. We helped them. They helped us. But there wasn’t anything that was – it was more on-the-ground, working together; it wasn’t part of an overall template.

So there’s a lot that I think we can take from this ARB because I told Ambassador Pickering and Admiral Mullen “Put it out there. I want to know more than anybody what happened. Don’t hold any punches. Tell us what the facts are.” But now, we have to act on it or shame on us.

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Learn More:

• C-Span.org: Sec. of State Clinton Testifies on U.S. Consulate Attack in Benghazi
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Hillary Clinton’s testimony on the Benghazi attack before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript of Senate hearing Q&A: Clinton describes her response to Benghazi consulate attack on Sept. 11-12
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s responses to Sen. Bob Corker’s questions on the Benghazi ARB & emerging threats in North Africa
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript of Senate hearing Q&A: Clinton’s response on State Department budget shortfalls & preventing terrorist safe haven in northern Mali
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s responses to Sen. James Risch’s questions on the Tunisian suspect arrested in connection with the Benghazi attack but later released & Susan Rice’s statements
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Sen. Rand Paul to Clinton: “I would have relieved you of your post”
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s responses to Sen. Ben Cardin’s question on the flow of weapons from Libya to neighboring countries in North Africa
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript of Senate hearing Q&A: Clinton asks Congress for transfer authority to fund security upgrades for U.S. embassies in high threat areas
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript of Senate hearing Q&A: Clinton explained that Libyan government had the “willingness” but “not capacity” to safeguard American diplomats
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. John McCain’s questions on the Benghazi attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. Dick Durbin’s question on how sequestration will hurt the State Department’s efforts to stop the spread of terrorists in North Africa
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. John Barrasso’s questions on the security arrangements in place before the 9/11 Benghazi attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. Tom Udall’s question on the State Department’s handling of high-threat posts overseas
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. Chris Murphy’s question on the State Department’s role in North Africa
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. Tim Kaine’s questions on the temporary status of the Benghazi consulate & the practice of hiring local security guards
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. Jeff Flake’s question on Amb. Rice & the decision to remain in Benghazi
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Clinton’s response to Sen. Chris Coons’s question the U.S. role in North Africa
• WhatTheFolly.com: List of American casualties & injuries in the attacks against the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya
• WhatTheFolly.com: Summary of the State Department’s Accountability Review Board findings on the Benghazi consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Accountability Review Board blames inadequate security at Benghazi consulate on “systemic failures” and “management deficiencies” at the State Department
• State Department: Accountability Review Board’s report on the Benghazi consulate attack – December 2012 (PDF)
• State Department: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s letter to Congress on the Accountability Review Board’s report on the Benghazi consulate attack – December 2012 (PDF)
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Deputy Secretary William Burns’s remarks on the ARB’s report on the Benghazi consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Ambassador Tom Pickering’s remarks on the ARB’s report on the Benghazi consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Admiral Mike Mullen’s remarks on the ARB’s report on the Benghazi consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript of press briefing Q&A on the Accountability Review Board’s findings on the Benghazi consulate attack

• WhatTheFolly.com: Accountability Review Board blames inadequate security at Benghazi consulate on “systemic failures” and “management deficiencies” at the State Department
• WhatTheFolly.com: Summary of the State Department’s Accountability Review Board findings on the Benghazi consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Hillary Clinton on Libya: “I take responsibility”
• WhatTheFolly.com: Democrats & Republicans trade accusations over Libya; Ambassador Stevens’s father says Benghazi deaths should not be politicized
• WhatTheFolly.com: U.S. Embassy in Tripoli denied repeated requests for additional security prior to Benghazi attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Timeline of the deteriorating security condition in Benghazi prior to consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: FBI investigators search Benghazi crime scene 3 weeks after deadly consulate attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: Secretary of State Clinton hints Benghazi attack might be linked to Al Qaeda in North Africa
• WhatTheFolly.com: U.S. counter-terrorism official calls Benghazi consulate assault an ‘opportunistic’ terrorist attack
• WhatTheFolly.com: State Department identifies the 2 Embassy security personnel killed in Benghazi, Libya
• WhatTheFolly.com: New details emerge on “complex” Benghazi attack; Marines sent to Tripoli
• WhatTheFolly.com: UPDATED: Timeline of the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya
• WhatTheFolly.com: U.S. Ambassador & 3 Americans killed in Libya attack