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 Sources familiar with the findings said the report, which had
bipartisan approval, found that in the previous months U.S.
intelligence agencies repeatedly warned about possible attacks in
Benghazi, but the State Department paid too little attention.
The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other
U.S. government personnel were killed when militants stormed the
diplomatic post and a nearby CIA base over the course of several
hours.
The Benghazi attack became a political flashpoint in Washington in
the run-up to the 2012 election, with Republicans arguing that
President Barack Obama tried to play down its significance as he
campaigned for a second term.
The sources said that report heavily criticized the State Department
for security arrangements at the diplomatic compound, saying they
were nowhere near adequate to deal with the threat militants were
known to pose.
The sources said the report had little criticism of the CIA's
performance during and after the attack. The agency helped evacuate
dozens of U.S. personnel from the Libyan city.
The committee report raised some questions about whether the U.S.
military could have been better prepared to send an emergency force
to Benghazi to help in the rescue, the sources said. But they said
the military's performance on the night of the attack was not
harshly criticized.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, Navy Commander Amy
Derrick-Frost, said the department had not seen the report.
But she said: "The Department of Defense continues to review the
lessons learned from the tragedy in Benghazi. As we continue to
implement the recommendations from the Accountability Review Board,
we are in a much better position to respond today should a similar
attack occur. The department's response to the embassy evacuation in
Juba, South Sudan, is an example of our improved preparedness."
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A State Department official said: "There have been dozens of
reports, hearings and briefings on this issue. The facts are
well-known, and we have continuously worked closely with Congress to
ensure transparency."
"The Department is focused on preventing another tragedy like this
one, and we are making progress to implement each of the ARB's
recommendations, including work to expand the corps of Diplomatic
Security personnel, enhance interagency coordination to address
threat information, expand the Marine Security Guard program, and
accelerate projects to build and upgrade secure facilities," the
official said.
The Senate committee was expected to make public a 58-page version
of its report on Wednesday, although the document was expected to
include redactions. In addition to the report's main narrative,
sources said Democrats and Republicans had included their own
"additional views" on the committee inquiry.
The CIA declined to comment pending the report's release.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; editing by David Storey, Leslie Adler,
Peter Cooney and Eric Walsh)
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