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Kudlow: Could Libya Attack Cost Obama the White House?

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Published: Wednesday, 10 Oct 2012 | 7:45 PM ET
Lee Brodie By:

Producer

STR | AFP | Bloomberg
A vehicle sits smoldering in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late on September 11, 2012

In the next debate President Obama will have to face tough questions about Libya, and the public might not like what they hear.

Details are surfacing in part from a House investigation that may become extremely politically charged – perhaps even calling the integrity of the entire Obama White House into question.

For example, new information shows there was no protest outside the consulate on the night of the September 11th attacks – that in fact, it was quiet up until the attack.

Also, in the months preceding the attack, security officer Eric Nordstrom told the State Department more security was sorely needed at the consulate but none was ever provided.

And now the State Department is insisting that it never concluded the attack happened spontaneously.

Benghazi-Gate to Rock Election?
New details are emerging about exactly what happened in Libya the night of the attacks as a House oversight committee opened hearings Wednesday. NBC's Steve Handelsman reports. Peter Brookes, Heritage Foundation senior fellow, weighs in.

All these developments paint a very different picture than previous commentary from Obama officials that suggested the attack, which claimed the lives of Ambassador, Christopher Stevens, and the other Americans, was a spontaneous act of violence in response to a film that depicted Muslims in a negative light.

Mitt Romney labeled events as an example of President Barack Obama's weakness in foreign policy matters.

Other Republicans are far more scathing. They charge that the administration deliberately misled the public, in an effort to cover-up an al-Qaeda comeback in Libya.

“Now we’re hearing that the consulate immediately sounded the alarm and made telephone calls to the embassy in Tripoli, officials in Washington, and the U.S. quick reaction force located at a second compound a little over a mile away,” said Larry Kudlow. “I find it hard to believe Obama didn’t know what was happening.”

"Obama is going to have to answer for this," Kudlow added. "This is a falsehood that's going to blow-up."

"“It sure has the appearance of a cover-up,” added Peter Brookes, Heritage Foundation Sr Fellow on The Kudlow Report.

“I think the last thing this administration wanted was to admit is that there was a terrorist attack on 9-11. And if it wasn’t for the Congressional hearings, the administration would probably still be saying it was not a terrorist attack," added Brookes.

In response to these charges, the White House has denied any intentional cover-up and counters that it has been completely transparent – providing its best intelligence on the attack, and then refining it as more information came to light.

The FBI is still investigating the attack. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also has named a State Department review panel to look into the security arrangements in Libya.


Tune in:

"The Kudlow Report" airs weeknights at 7 p.m. ET.

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In the next debate President Obama and VP Biden will have to face tough questions about Libya, and the public might not like what they hear.

   
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  • Kudlow is the anchor of CNBC’s "The Kudlow Report," co-anchor of"The Call" and author of the blog "Money & Politics."