Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., slammed President Obama and the State Department over the administration’s relationship with Tunisia, which just released one of the suspects in the Benghazi terrorist attack despite receiving foreign aid from the U.S. government.
“I am very disappointed that Ali Harzi, a key suspect in the September 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate and annex in Benghazi, was released by Tunisian authorities today,” Wolf said in a statement. “For months following the attack, the Tunisian government blocked the FBI from interviewing Harzi. Now Harzi walks the streets of Tunisia a free man – facing no consequence for his role in the Benghazi attack.”
Wolf has called for an end to U.S. foreign aid to Tunisia. “[S]ince 2011, the American government has given $320 million in taxpayer dollars to the Tunisian government,” he said. “I find it morally wrong to support a country that has obstructed FBI efforts to bring these terrorists to justice. Last month, I asked the Obama Administration to cut off aid to Tunisia. I am very disappointed to learn that the State Department is once again ducking this issue and today refusing to comment on Harzi’s release.”
The Virginia lawmaker suggested that Obama isn’t doing enough to find the people behind the attack, in which four Americans — including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens — died.
“The loss of these American lives, and the strategic consequences of this deadly attack on a U.S. consulate, merit a full investigation to ensure that the Obama Administration is taking all necessary actions to identify the terrorists responsible and bring them to justice,” Wolf said. “That is why next week I will reintroduce my resolution to create a select committee, which several of my colleagues cosponsored last Congress.”
