Will President Obama mention Benghazi in his State of the Union Address?

Tomorrow night, President Obama will update the nation on the State of the Union. During this time, he will surely discuss many issues.

At ACT! for America, our question is: Will he update the American people on the investigation into the September 11, 2012, jihadist terror attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi? Will he announce the imminent arrest of the responsible jihadists? Will he announce the termination of members of his administration who were negligent in their duties?

Senator Ted Cruz, who has introduced S.Res. 225, legislation in the U.S. Senate creating a joint House/Senate Committee to investigate Benghazi released a list of five questions that he thinks Americans deserve to have addressed by President Obama during the State of the Union. Question number four is “Will the President call on Congress to form a Joint Select Committee to finally discover the truth of why four Americans perished in a preventable terrorist attack in Benghazi 16 months ago?”

If the administration’s deafening silence of the last year and a half is any indication, the answer doesn’t look promising.

Yet even in spite of the continued stonewalling by both the administration and the U.S. Congress, the American people have continued to vociferously demand answers about Benghazi – and so it has remained in the news. 

It is therefore critical that we continue to let our federal elected officials know that the American people will not forget the Benghazi attack; we will not forget the four Americans who were brutally murdered that night, including a U.S. Ambassador; and we will not abandon their still grieving families.

Just last week alone, there has been much attention on the Benghazi issue:

    • Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), who has introduced legislation creating a short term special congressional committee to investigate the Benghazi attack, once again implored Speaker Boehner via a letter to create a special committee in his chamber. It was a powerful, well-written letter and we think it’s worth a read.
    • Greg Hicks, the Deputy Chief of Missions under Ambassador Stevens, wrote a compelling op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on the Benghazi issue, in which he responds to the latest attempts to blame the Ambassador for not being prepared for the attack.
    • Ruth Marcus wrote a column in the Washington Post in which she stated her view that the Benghazi attack was preventable and noting how there has been so little accountability.
    • New Members of Congress continue to be added to the ranks of cosponsors of Rep. Wolf’s legislation – with over ¾ of the House majority caucus now on the bill.

The Benghazi issue will only be addressed to the satisfaction of the American people when the American people demand it. Our federal legislators ultimately will listen to their constituents if they understand that their jobs are on the line. We are proud to see so many of our grassroots members continue to be vocal on this issue. You are making a difference. Keep it up.

As we lead up to tomorrow night’s State of the Union address, can I count on you to take the very important actions noted below?

Important Benghazi Action Items:

Please contact your legislators in the both the U.S. House and Senate to express your support for legislation creating a special congressional committee to investigate the Benghazi attack. As always, please be respectful at all times.

Further, please pass on a link to my column to everyone you know.

    • House of Representatives Legislation: H.Res.36 by Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) (NOTE: H. Res. 36 is NOT the same as H. R. 36). Please be sure to accurately identify the legislation we are supporting, to avoid confusion.) Click HERE for a list of House Members, by state, who still have NOT cosponsored Rep. Wolf’s bill. Is your legislator on that list? If so, he or she needs to hear from you. Please contact your legislator now via phone call or e-mail and request that he or she sign on to H.Res.36 as a cosponsor. Let your legislator know that this is a very important issue to you and one that you will have in mind when you cast your vote this November.Click HERE to obtain contact information for your House legislator.
    • Senate Legislation, S.Res. 225, by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)Please contact your two U.S. Senators and express your support for S.Res. 225. Again, let them know that this is an important issue to you, their constituent. Click HERE to obtain contact information for your Senate legislators.

There is  no excuse for a Member of Congress not to support a special Benghazi committee at this time. We’ve had months and months of hearings and political theatre on this issue and the important questions remain unanswered.

Let’s get this done.