FOXNews.com: Whistle-blowers testify on Benghazi attacks, Issa says families of victims 'deserve answers'

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Whistle-blowers testify on Benghazi attacks, Issa says families of victims 'deserve answers' May 8th 2013, 15:12 Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Wednesday, as the oversight committee he chairs launched into a high-profile hearing on the Benghazi attacks, that lawmakers continue to probe the strike because the families of the victims "deserve answers."  He spoke at the start of a major hearing where three whistle-blowers are testifying and expected to shed new light on that deadly assault. Issa called them "actual experts on what really happened before, during and after the Benghazi attacks," who "deserve to be heard."  The three witnesses are Greg Hicks, deputy chief of mission in Libya who became top U.S. diplomat in the country after Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in the terror attack; Mark Thompson, an official with the State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau; and Eric Nordstrom, a diplomatic security officer who was formerly the regional security officer in Libya.  Two of the whistle-blowers' opening statements were obtained by Fox News, and in the statements they defend their credibility in testifying about what happened last Sept. 11 in Libya.  "I am a career public servant," Hicks' statement reads. "Until the aftermath of Benghazi, I loved every day of my job."  The administration has parried Republican allegations lately by arguing that the attack is old news, that the State Department already has investigated it and that Republicans are engaged in a political witch hunt.  But a series of carefully timed leaks on the whistle-blowers' testimony indicates House Republicans could have the goods to at least merit a second look at the administration narrative.  "The question is, where's the accountability for lying to the American people?" Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told Fox News. "The American people were lied to."  The witnesses are expected to cover a breadth of material in their testimony Wednesday. Lawmakers have questioned to what extent security requests were ignored before the attack, whether the military could have done more to respond the night of the attack and whether talking points were intentionally changed for political reasons after the attack to downplay terrorism. The witnesses could address all three areas on Wednesday.  The Obama administration has adamantly denied several of the latest charges, including a claim that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a key aide tried to cut the department's own counterterrorism bureau out of the chain of reporting and decision-making on Sept. 11. The administration also denied that the whistle-blowers in question were intimidated -- while behind the scenes questioning the credibility of the witnesses.  A "fact sheet" released by the department ahead of the hearing reiterated its denials. The statement also said the department has "demonstrated an unprecedented degree of cooperation with the Congress" on Libya, and rejected claims that the military was in a position to help that night but was told to stand down. Citing its internal review, the statement noted the review "found no evidence of any undue delays in decision making or denial of support from Washington or from the military combatant commanders."

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