In testimony before the House Oversight Committee on May 8, former Tripoli Regional Security Officer (RSO) Eric Nordstrom said security at the consulate in Benghazi was substandard and that the only way Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the other Americans could have been there was for then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to have waived the security requirements.
Nordstrom worked with the Benghazi consulate from September 2011 through July 2012.
Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) asked Nordstrom pointedly: “Mr. Nordstrom, before you left as RSO, did the facilities have the number of security personnel that you had requested?”
Nordstrom replied, “No they did not.”
Lankford then said: “Mr. Nordstrom, there are a very, very small number of facilities worldwide that are considered by [the Government Accountability Office] critical or high-threat level for personnel serving in our different embassies and consulates. Tripoli and Benghazi, were they listed and critical or high-threat level?”
Nordstrom replied, “They were.”
Lankford then asked: “By statute, Mr. Nordstrom, who has authority to place personnel in a facility that does not meet the minimum OSPB standards?”
Nordstrom replied:
The OSPB standards go in tandem with SECCA, which is the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act, both of which derived out of the East Africa bombings, or were strengthened after that. It’s my understanding that since we were the sole occupants of both of those facilities–Benghazi and Tripoli–the only person who could grant waivers or exceptions to those was the Secretary of State.