Top lawmakers push back on Benghazi report

A Republican and Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee maintained that al Qaeda was involved in the Benghazi attack, pushing back against a New York Times report to the contrary.

The New York Times, in an article published Sunday, cited interviews with witnesses on the ground in saying that Ansar al-Sharia and other local militias were involved, but not al Qaeda.

{mosads}Asked on “Fox News Sunday” what was inaccurate about the report, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said, “That al Qaeda was not involved in this.”

“It tells me they didn’t talk to people on the ground who were doing the fighting and shooting and the intelligence gathering,” Rogers continued. “When you put that volume of information, I think that proves that that story’s just not accurate.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a senior member of the committee, also said al Qaeda was involved. “I agree with Mike [Rogers] that … the intelligence indicates that al Qaeda was involved,” he said. 

Schiff agreed with the story that other militias were involved as well.

Responding to the other major intelligence issue of the day, the NSA revelations, Rogers attacked leaker Edward Snowden after Snowden called out Rogers by name in an interview with The Washington Post. Snowden said Rogers and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) fell down on their oversight responsibilities.

“It is our job to make sure they comport with the law, and we do that; we take that very seriously,” Rogers said.

Schiff agreed with the presidential panel’s recommendation that phone records should be kept with phone companies instead of the government, but Rogers said that opened up more privacy concerns and lack of oversight, not less.