In an emotional exchange with MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell on Monday, Patricia Smith, mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, blasted Hillary Clinton for not answering questions during Thursday’s congressional hearing on the 2012 terrorist attack: “I watched every minute....Hillary didn't answer the questions. I'm still waiting...”
Speaking of her late son, Smith declared: “So he was a good guy. They sacrificed him as they sacrificed the Ambassador and the two guys that got murdered because nobody sent help. I want to know why. Why wasn't there any help?!” Mitchell tried to wrap up the segment: “Patricia Smith, I am so sorry for your loss.” Smith rejected Mitchell’s sympathy: “You can't understand! You just can't understand! My only child was murdered and nobody will tell me why!”
Just prior to her interview with Smith, Mitchell touted: “After that marathon Benghazi Committee hearing, Democrats are arguing that the Republican-led panel should be disbanded.”
During the exchange with Smith, Mitchell offered Clinton’s excuse: “Her defense is that diplomats, people like your son, make terrible sacrifices – your son, the ultimate sacrifice – in defense of diplomacy and American values and that we can't retreat from these front lines. What is your reaction to that?”
Smith demanded:
I think they should have covered his back. All of those people that were there, every one of them that worked for our government, worked for our government because they wanted to. They wanted to do the right thing and they did what they were supposed to, knowing that our government would have their back. They did not and I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why my son died.
Here is a full transcript of the October 26 interview:
12:42 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: After that marathon Benghazi Committee hearing, Democrats are arguing that the Republican-led panel should be disbanded. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee, explained why to Chuck on Meet the Press.
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS [D-MD]: In many instances, we found ourselves having to not defend Secretary Clinton, but to make sure that the record was complete. When the families came in, many of them with tears in their eyes, they asked us to only do three things. Make sure that we made sure that this did not happen again, they wanted us to look for the facts, more facts than we already had, and they asked us for one final thing. They asked us to make sure that we did not turn this into a political football. So all we were trying to do is make sure that we defended the truth.
MITCHELL: I'm joined now by Patricia Smith, mother of Sean Smith, one of the four Americans who died on that fateful day. Mrs. Smith, thank you very much for joining us, and I just wanted to express our condolences to you for your terrible loss, and thank you for being willing to share your thoughts about this these years later. First of all, did you watch the hearing?
PATRICIA SMITH: I watched every minute.
MITCHELL: Interesting. And what was your impression?
SMITH: That Hillary didn't answer the questions. I'm still waiting, oh, my main – one of the main questions, if the Ambassador cabled that he needed more people, more security, this cable, according to Hillary, it did not reach her. Who did it reach and what was done? So that my son wouldn't be murdered like he was? This has never been answered. If this was Hillary's department, she should have known what was going on, yet she claims she didn't and my son died, along with the Ambassador and two other wonderful people. I’d like an answer to this.
MITCHELL: And in fact, when did you last speak with your son?
SMITH: The night before this happened, he called me and we chatted for a minute. And he says he saw people running around there taking pictures and he knew there was something big going to be happening. And so, February 17th people were taking pictures, whoever they are, and this is what happened. They were casing the place.
MITCHELL: This was the Libyan, the radicals, the militias.
SMITH: He told me February 17th. I don't know who they are.
MITCHELL: Yeah, that was the name, in fact, of that Libyan radical group. Tell me, so he had a foreboding. He was concerned about security. We know there were so many communications, in fact, from the Ambassador, and they didn't reach Hillary Clinton's level. I wanted to play a little bit of the exchange between Susan Brooks, one of the Congress members, Republican Congress member, and Clinton from the other day and ask for you to react on the other side.
REP. SUSAN BROOKS [R-IN]: We have no record that you had any conversations with the Ambassador after you swore him in and before he died, and you were his boss.
HILLARY CLINTON: I was the boss of Ambassadors in 270 countries. I am very well aware of the dangers that are faced by our diplomats and our development professionals. There was never a recommendation from Chris Stevens or anyone else to close Benghazi.
MITCHELL: Her defense is that diplomats, people like your son, make terrible sacrifices – your son, the ultimate sacrifice – in defense of diplomacy and American values and that we can't retreat from these front lines. What is your reaction to that?
SMITH: I think they should have covered his back. All of those people that were there, every one of them that worked for our government, worked for our government because they wanted to. They wanted to do the right thing and they did what they were supposed to, knowing that our government would have their back. They did not and I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why my son died.
The contractors that were there was told that – they were told to stand down three times. Hillary has denied this. I don't know why. She won't give me an explanation. They won't tell me why this happened. But nobody came to help him. And there were people that were available. The guys from the security department was ready to go. They were told to stand down and they finally went on their own. They said they could have saved the Ambassador's life and my son's life if they would have been allowed to go. Now, please tell me why weren't they allowed to go?
MITCHELL: I know there's been a lot of dispute about that, but the fact is that the closest military were hours and hours away, and that the command has now been moved a lot closer. That's one of the so-called reforms afterwards.
SMITH: It would take nine hours for this thing to be over.
MITCHELL: Nine hours, exactly.
SMITH: During that time, somebody should be able to go there and help. Even a drone. And I understand there was a drone. They were watching. What were they watching if nothing was happening?
MITCHELL: And Mrs. Smith, before I let you go, I wanted to ask you to share a little bit more about Sean Smith. And we know his military background but tell me more about the man he was.
SMITH: He was a guy that just loved his computer and he loved playing video games, one particular video game, he would get on there all the time and play around with it. He was like – he was like a pixie with a computer. He was a wonderful guy. He loved kids. He loved – animals liked him. Everybody liked him. He did wonderful things on this video game that he played. He was known as a master of some kind which I don't understand. So he was a good guy. They sacrificed him as they sacrificed the Ambassador and the two guys that got murdered because nobody sent help. I want to know why. Why wasn't there any help?!
MITCHELL: Patricia Smith, I am so sorry for your loss.
SMITH: You can't understand! You just can't understand! My only child was murdered and nobody will tell me why!
MITCHELL: Patricia Smith –
SMITH: He was the only thing that was going to help me when I get old. I'm old now. Now who do I listen to, who's going to help me now?! He's not around and the government won't talk to me!
MITCHELL: Ma'am, thank you very much. Again, we are very, very sorry. Thanks for being with us today.
