WASHINGTON – House Republicans are mounting pressure on the Department of Defense to answer for what they consider to be “slow reaction times” to the Sept. 11 Benghazi attacks that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
In a letter obtained exclusively by CBS News, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, express concerns about the eight-hour delay in deploying aircraft from Germany to Libya to rescue American personnel.
They also question why two teams of special operations forces and two anti-terrorism platoons were almost 18 hours late.
This comes after the committee obtained a timeline from the CIA and State and Defense departments of the attacks and the Pentagon’s response.
“While the department’s timeline provides basic information on its efforts during and after the attack, it leaves many questions unanswered,” the letter reads.
The committee is asking for a response from the Pentagon by Dec. 3.
View the entire letter below:
Letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Benghazi Response
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