Clinton kept counterterrorism out of loop, Benghazi testimony will show

On Sept. 11, when the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked by al-Qaida-linked terrorists, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to exclude the counter-intelligence bureau from all reporting and decision-making, as Fox News learned Sunday evening.

Hillary Clinton on the Hill — Photo Credit: Western Center for Journalism

This will be part of the testimony expected from Mark I. Thompson, one of the three named whistleblowers expected to appear Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Thompson is deputy coordinator for operations in the agency’s counterterrorism bureau and a former Marine.

Thompson’s account of events was not included in the Accountability Review Board, convened by the secretary of state to review her own department’s actions in the Benghazi affair and found it blameless.

Thompson was not alone in his recollection and assessment:

Fox News has also learned that another official from the counterterrorism bureau — independently of Thompson — voiced the same complaint about Clinton and Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy to trusted national security colleagues back in October.

While counterterrorism was kept out of the loop, Clinton, Kennedy and other Obama administration officials concentrated on how to characterize the attack.

Neither Clinton nor Kennedy responded to requests for comment by Fox News.

Thompson’s counsel, Joseph diGenova, stated that his client has been threatened and intimidated by his superiors at State since announcing his intention to testify before the committee.

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