FOXNews.com: 'TROUBLING' ACCOUNTS: Issa Seeks More Benghazi Whistle-Blowers in Probe

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'TROUBLING' ACCOUNTS: Issa Seeks More Benghazi Whistle-Blowers in Probe May 9th 2013, 15:36 Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said he will continue to seek whistle-blowers to "come forward" with accounts from the Benghazi terror attack, making clear that Wednesday's bombshell testimony from three witnesses could be the beginning of a new wave of testimony that challenges the administration's claims.  The wide-ranging and dramatic testimony Wednesday raised several fresh questions about the attack. Witnesses questioned why security had not been tightened in Benghazi in the months leading up to the assault and why U.S. military assets did not respond sooner that night, with one alleging a military team was not given permission to fly from Tripoli to Benghazi the next morning.  Further, they raised serious concerns about the administration's initial decision to describe the attack as a protest gone awry despite evidence on the ground to the contrary.  In startling testimony, one whistle-blower also claimed the State Department retaliated against him after he raised questions about that decision. Greg Hicks, former deputy chief of mission in Libya, claimed that Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Elizabeth Jones delivered a "blistering critique" of his management style after he criticized U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's initial claim that the attack was tied to anger over an anti-Islam film. He also claimed that he was counseled to avoid personally discussing the attack with Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and was "effectively demoted" to a desk officer in the end.  Issa, in a written statement after Wednesday's hearing, called the alleged retaliation and intimidation "perhaps most troubling."  But, in an interview with Fox News, he said he is committed to gathering more testimony from other whistle-blowers.  "Candidly, as quickly as possible, we simply want to have the whistleblowers that are still out there, in fact witnesses that are still out there to come forward, tell us their story. We will get it out and we will close up this investigation," he said.  Issa, R-Calif., is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which held the hearing.  Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., top Democrat on the committee, vowed to protect the whistle-blowers while criticizing his Republican colleagues for allegedly trying to politicize the tragedy. He claimed afterward that the testimony only served to undercut Republican allegations.  "What should have been a bipartisan investigation involving our national security was another sorry example of Republicans promising explosive new facts but delivering only a press spectacle," he said in a statement.  The committee may move to hear testimony next from at least one leader of the State Department's internal review of the Benghazi attack. Though the leaders, former Joints Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and former Ambassador Thomas Pickering, apparently declined to testify, Pickering told MSNBC on Wednesday that he is willing to speak.  Issa spokesman Frederick Hill on Thursday noted the "change of heart" -- but also said neither Pickering nor the administration has contacted the committee about possible testimony.  Several claims from Wednesday's hearing could open up new lines of inquiry on the attack and its aftermath. Among them, Hicks claimed that Rice's faulty claims about the nature of the attack hurt the FBI investigation.  Hicks argued that Rice's comments so insulted the Libyan president -- since they contradicted his Sept. 16 claims that the attack was premeditated -- that it slowed the FBI's investigation.  "President Magariaf was insulted in front of his own people, in front of the world. His credibility was reduced," Hicks said, adding that the president was apparently "still steamed" two weeks later.  This bad blood, he claimed, contributed to the FBI team being stuck in Tripoli for about 17-18 days.  "I definitely believe that it negatively affected our ability to get the FBI team quickly to Benghazi," he said, adding that the U.S. could not even get the Libyans to secure the crime scene during that time. Related Stories Whistle-blower: Botched talking points hurt FBI probe of Benghazi attack

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