General on Benghazi: 'We Never Received a Request for Support from the State Department' | The Weekly Standard

General on Benghazi: 'We Never Received a Request for Support from the State Department' | The Weekly Standard

General on Benghazi: 'We Never Received a Request for Support from the State Department'
11:38 AM, FEB 7, 2013 • BY DANIEL HALPER        Single PagePrintLarger TextSmaller TextAlerts
General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the State Department never requested "support" in Benghazi:



"Why didn't you put forces in place to be ready to respond?," Senator John McCain asked the general.

Dempsey started, "Because we never received a request to do so, number one. And number two, we --"

McCain iterrupted, "You never heard of Ambassador Stevens's repeated warnings?"

"I had, through General Ham," responded Dempsey, referring to the commander of AFRICOM. "But we never received a request for support from the State Department, which would have allowed us to put forces--"

"So it's the State Department's fault?"

"I'm not blaming the State Department," Dempsey responded.