Congress Investigating Altered CIA Talking Points

Lawmakers want to get to the bottom of Benghazi attack's wake
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 18, 2012 12:47 PM CST
Congress Investigating Altered CIA Talking Points
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is surrounded by reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 16, 2012.   (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Lawmakers have been in a tizzy ever since David Petraeus told Congress that other federal agencies altered CIA talking points on the Benghazi attack, which originally referred to it as a terrorist attack, and now Congress will launch an inquiry into the matter, the AP reports. The White House said yesterday that the administration only made one minor change to the CIA talking points, Reuters reports: Specifically, the White House changed references to "consulate," since the diplomatic facility that was attacked was not formally a consulate.

As for any other edits, "If there were adjustments made to them within the intelligence community, that's common, and that's something they would have done themselves," said a deputy national security adviser. After Petraeus' hearing, Rep. Peter King said that the talking points originally included references to al-Qaeda that were later removed, although he did not know who specifically made the edits. Congress wants to know who it was, hence the investigation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein says Congress has asked the White House for an explanation. (More Benghazi stories.)

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