Petraeus Testifies on Capitol Hill about Libya Attack

Posted November 16th, 2012 at 4:35 am (UTC-5)
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Former CIA director David Petraeus testifies Friday before the House Intelligence Committee about the deadly September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees began closed-door hearings Thursday on the attack in which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials testified Thursday.

Many lawmakers are concerned over whether there was adequate security at the consulate, and if the Obama administration later attempted to hide information to avoid any embarrassment before the November 6 presidential election.

Petraeus resigned his post as the leader of the Central Intelligence Agency last week following an FBI investigation that uncovered his extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The incident raised concerns about a possible breach of national security.

Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that he felt “very secure” that there was no national security breach in the Petraeus scandal.

Holder said that if the investigation uncovered any security threat, he would have informed the president and Congress.

In another development, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before a committee next month.