Former DNC Communications Director and now MSNBC host Karen Finney blames Republicans in the House of Representatives for the terror attacks in Benghazi.  As a guest on MSNBC’s Martin Bashir, Finney maintained that “austerity measures” were responsible for security reductions in the State Department and led to the attack that left four dead Americans on September 11, 2012.  

But I believe that is what the GOP is most terrified of having to talk about. Because they know they screwed up. Their austerity measures may have endangered this man’s life and they don’t want to talk about that…

…Nobody is interested in the fact fiscal year 2012 Republicans voted to remove $331 billion from security budgets at international consulates and embassies. Nobody is interested in discussing that. That was the year when Ambassador Stevens was murdered.

This audacious attempt to lay blame on the GOP has already been debunked by a little thing called facts. According to Brett Schaefer, an expert on International Regulatory Affairs, the 2012 budget for Embassy Security combined with the Overseas Contingency Operations fund showed a net increase from 2011, and this was after a decade of enormous increases in Embassy Protection after the 9/11 attacks of 2001:

Comparing FY 2011 actual funding versus the FY 2012 estimate, there appears to be a reduction in Worldwide Security Protection and Embassy Security, Construction and Maintenance. But that reduction does not account for additional funding in FY 2012 from Overseas Contingency Operations funds amounting to $236 million for Worldwide Security Protection (p. 63) and $33 million for Embassy Security, Construction and Maintenance (p. 467). As a result, total funds for Worldwide Security Protection for FY 2012 are estimated to be $94 million higher than in FY 2011, while Embassy Security, Construction and Maintenance is estimated to be $61 million less than FY 2011. Together, there is a net increase.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Bashir was not equipped with any facts at his disposal to rebut Ms. Finney’s assertion. 

Watch the entire segment here:  (H/T MRC)