Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was forced Thursday to address for the first time reports of U.S. involvement in supplying arms to Libyan rebels during the revolution and later transferring weapons to Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow the government of President Bashar Assad.
The weapons are believed to have fallen the hands of jihadist and fueling the raise of the terrorist army known as Islamic State.
Mrs. Clinton addressed the issue during her testimony before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
Under questioning by Rep. Mike Pompeo, Kansas Republican, Mrs. Clinton denied any knowledge of arming rebels in Libya or Syria, including through third parties.
Asked if she ever considered using private security experts to arm the opposition in Libya, she said: “No, not seriously.”
Mr. Pompeo then produced an email from Mrs. Clinton to top adviser Jake Sullivan in which she explicitly proposed using private security experts to arm the opposition in Libya.
She insisted that she wasn’t “seriously” making the proposal.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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