Congressman Franks (R-AZ) issued the following statement in response to yesterday afternoon’s hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA). The hearing investigated the security failures leading up to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya, which resulted in the death of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

“I commend Chairman Issa and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee Members for having the courage to carry out yesterday’s hearing. The questions that were addressed are critical to safeguarding America’s national security and particularly the lives of our foreign service officers and forward deployed military personnel. Our commitment to honor the lives of those who were lost must include a determination to leave no stone unturned when it comes to understanding where our State Department’s security measures failed and ensuring that such failures never happen again.

“Additionally, the Obama Administration’s shameful and politically-charged attempt to portray the Benghazi attacks as almost-justified reaction to an ugly YouTube video, is a disgrace beyond words that crystallizes the failure of its entire national security policy. The fact that numerous requests for additional security on the ground at the U.S. Embassy in Libya were repeatedly denied, highlights a practice of making dangerous, politically-motivated national security decisions that have become a common practice within the Obama Administration.

“The safety of American citizens and the security of the United States of America must never be subjugated or held hostage by a political agenda. The Benghazi hearing was an important step toward uncovering the growing scandal surrounding this horrific attack, of being honest about the nature of the enemy we face, and reasserting our commitment to protecting both the freedoms of Americans here and those heroic individuals who serve us abroad.”