Issa: Benghazi ‘not about al Qaeda’

Recent reports claiming al Qaeda played no role in the September 2013 attack in Benghazi, Libya do not exonerate the White House’s handling of the terrorist strike, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Sunday.

“It is not about al Qaeda,” the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman said. 

{mosads}Regardless of which group perpetrated the attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, the Obama administration’s response to the strike was a “clear attempt” by the White House to mislead the American public, Issa said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

Issa has been one of the most outspoken Republican critics on Capitol Hill on the Benghazi attack, which claimed the lives of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The Obama administration initially claimed the Benghazi attack was the result of an anti-American protest. Only weeks later did officials acknowledge the strike was a planned, coordinated attack by Islamic extremist groups in the country.

A recent New York Times investigation of the Benghazi attack concluded that al Qaeda did not play a role, but an anti-Muslim video was a factor.

Read more from The Hill.