Reported Central Contentions Of New Benghazi Book Already Debunked

Written by Matt Gertz

Published

Hillary ClintonA new book that seeks to damage Hillary Clinton over the 2012 attacks in Benghazi reportedly relies on long-debunked conservative myths.  

On September 9, WND Books will publish Aaron Klein's The REAL Benghazi Story: What the White House and Hillary Don't Want You to Know. The book's release is the latest salvo from a conservative cottage industry that aims to make money and political hay out of both Benghazi and Clinton smears.

Klein, a senior reporter for the birther site WND, is not a credible author -- one of his recent books portrayed President Obama as a “Manchurian Candidate” whose autobiography was ghostwritten by Bill Ayers.

The Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard, who reviewed an advance copy of Klein's Benghazi book, reported that Klein argues “Clinton was unwilling to provide additional security to the diplomatic outpost and even played a role in sending Stevens to his 'doomed mission.'”

Klein's contention that Clinton “was unwilling to provide additional security to the diplomatic outpost” seems to reference the long-debunked conservative claim that the then-Secretary of State personally signed off on cables rejecting requests for additional security. When congressional Republicans first made that claim in April 2013, diplomatic reporters noted that every cable sent to the State Department from overseas facilities is addressed to the secretary, and every cable sent from the State Department is signed by the secretary, even though the secretary rarely reviews them.

In her 2014 memoir, Clinton wrote that she had never seen the cables in question, stating, “That's not how it works. It shouldn't. And it didn't.”

Klein's claim that Clinton “played a role in sending Stevens” to his death in Benghazi has also been debunked. The State Department's Accountability Review Board reported that Stevens “made the decision to travel to Benghazi independently of Washington, per standard practice,” with the trip's timing “driven in part by commitments in Tripoli.” Gregory Hicks, who was Stevens' deputy, also testified before Congress that the ambassador “chose to go” to Benghazi.