Roby speaks on Benghazi Reports
Published 3:00 am Thursday, June 30, 2016
U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) spoke to the Brundidge Rotary Club Wednesday about the newly released Benghazi report by the U.S. House’s Select Committee on Benghazi.
Roby said that despite what media says, the report does reveal new findings. “The report reveals that one of the military assets identified to go to Benghazi sat on a tarmac for three hours and the crew changed in and out of their uniforms four times,” said Roby, who is a member of the committee that produced the report. The asset she was speaking of was the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST), which waited for a go-ahead in Rota, Spain.
Roby said the report also revealed that the Libyan forces who evacuated Americans from the CIA annex to the Benghazi airport were not affiliated with any of the militias that the CIA or State Department had built a relationship with, but was instead comprised of Qadhafi loyalists.
“Our report shows that there was a breakdown in the chain of command and it’s clear that numerous government agencies were covering their tracks,” she said. “There was a lack of urgency in Washington. Our report shows there was either incompetence or indifference, or both.”
Roby also spoke about the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill, a bill put forward by the House Committee on Appropriations on which she serves. The bill has provisions that would enhance veterans’ ability to access healthcare near their communities. The bill passed the House last week, but Roby said it is being blocked in the Senate, and asked the citizens to call on the Senate to pass it.
“Our vets ought to have access to help in their communities,” Roby said. “They shouldn’t have to drive to Atlanta or somewhere else to get care. We need a community health network. I went out and spoke to community hospitals and they said they want to help but that the VA isn’t paying their bills.”
Roby said there will be a meeting tomorrow to allow healthcare providers to speak out to the VA. The goal, she said, is to get the VA on track to pay their bills on time. “This isn’t rocket science,” she said.
Earlier Wednesday, Roby visited the Troy for Troops Center at Troy University for a tour of the facility. The Troy for Troops center offers services to military-affiliated students including computer access, free printing and counseling services.
Fifth-year graduate student Alex Hughes, who is doing a work-study with the center, explained its benefits. “A lot of vets might come in with PTSD,” he said. “Troy for Troops helps with counseling.” Hughes said that the center is also a good place to stay between classes. “The student lounge is nice and relaxing,” he said. “You can come in and watch TV or do your homework on one of the computers or whatever you want to do.”
According to Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins, about a third of Troy students are affiliated with military.
Roby said she was proud to see the state’s “deep commitment to veterans” and would like for more of the state’s universities to offer similar programs. “Troy University is leading the way,” she said. The University of Alabama has a similar program.
At both events, Roby emphasized what she wants to see from the president going forward. “Whoever our president is, we as a nation have to return to constitutional order,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if our president is a Republican or Democrat, a bad precedent is being set by this administration making unilateral executive orders. We need to go back to having the branches check and balance each other.”
Roby did say that she would vote for the GOP nominee, but advised that presumptive nominee Donald Trump needs to use more discernment and temperament if he is to win other states in the general election.