Mother of slain State Dept. officer in Benghazi: Hillary Clinton ‘tells lies,’ treated me like dirt

Sean Smith was a State Department official who was one of four Americans killed in a terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. Over three years later, his mother is still searching for answers.

Patricia Smith told RT’s Lindsay France that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised to tell her what happened to her son Sean, but reneged on that vow. She watched Thursday’s marathon hearing in which Clinton finally testified before the House Select Committee on Benghazi and says that the Democratic presidential hopeful lied to Congress about what happened that fateful September 11.

“If we’d had a more reliable security force in large enough numbers, well-armed and well-focused on protecting the compound,” Clinton told the 12-member panel on Thursday, “I think if the militia that had been engaged by both the CIA and the State Department had been more reliable…”

“I made a long list, Congressman, about anything that anybody could have done,” she said.

Lindsay France: In light of what she just said, and in light of what you know personally about the request for assistance and for security, what’s your reaction to that soundbite? 

Patricia Smith: Well, there was people available. They were told to stand down! What’s the matter with her? She knows that!

LF: I’ve heard you mention something very alarming to people… this attack occurred three years ago… you still say you don’t know much about what happened to your son. You said Clinton promised you that she would get you information, and you’ve heard nothing from her. And she told you to your face that it was due to the anti-Islamic video that was made, that this attack was because of that. What do you have to say about that?

PS: It’s absolutely true. She did tell me that, and she did tell me that it was the video. And she told me that she would get back to me as soon as they were going to check it out and make sure it was correct, and they were going to get back to me and let me know what happened. And the State Department or the government, no one has ever gotten back to me. They’ve treated me like dirt.

LF: What is your family doing right now to fight against this? What efforts are you putting forward? 

PS: What do you mean my family? My son was killed and that’s all I had. I have a couple grandchildren that I never get to see because of whatever it is that causes her to be that way. But I don’t have any family.

LF: Do you have a support system? I mean, are you going after still… ways to find out how your son died? 

PS: All I have is me. And I’m sitting here telling you what I know and what I don’t know. I can only tell you the truth about what happened, not like Hillary, who tells lies. Because what she told me and what happened was two entirely different things. And they still have not gotten back to me because, and I’ll repeat this again and again and again, she told me that I am not a member of the immediate families, so therefore they do not have to tell me anything.

So therefore, I have to sit here, not knowing anything. She sent in a drone so that they could look and see what was going on. And they saw what was going on. I’m imagining that they probably watched my son get killed and they still didn’t do anything. They had over nine hours to send somebody. 

They could have done it some way, somehow, some way, something. But the security guards that were there were told to stand down, and they told me personally that if they would have been allowed to go, they very possibly could have saved my son’s life and the ambassador’s. 

U.S. President Barack Obama walks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton © Jason Reed © Reuters

LF: Were you watching the hearing yesterday when she was defending herself on these points? Were you watching?

PS: Yes, I was.

LF: That must have been a painful several hours for you to deal with this. How did you get through something like that when you were hearing things you obviously very much find false. How did you get through something like that, and has it brought all of this back to you?

PS: Well, of course it has! Of course it has! This is extremely hard and extremely painful, but I’ve got to do it because I’m the only one doing anything about it! And I can’t just… tell my son that I don’t care! I care! I want to find out what happened, and I want the government to tell me what happened.

I’ve heard from, the only information I have is from outside people that have called me and let me know this and let me know that. I don’t know how much of this is true. I want the government to tell me what happened, other than throwing him to the wolves like they have.

LF: After a hearing like this, do you feel like answers will be given to you?

PS: They better be because I won’t shut up until then. I’m 75 now, and I don’t know if it’s going to take me to be 100, but I’m going to keep on talking and asking and begging, begging for answers from my government, because I think I deserve to know.