John Kerry clears 4 State Department officials punished over Benghazi attack
An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late on Sept. 11, 2012.
Four US State Department officials placed on administrative leave by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after last year’s attack on the US consulate in Benghazi have been given the green light to return to work, ending eight months of employment limbo.
Secretary of State John Kerry decided the midlevel employees did “not deserve any formal disciplinary action” after reviewing their cases on the attack, The Daily Beast reported.
They have been reassigned within the department.
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The officials were removed from their posts after a US State Department report criticized the “grossly inadequate” security and “lack of proactive leadership” at the diplomatic mission in Libya.
The Sept. 11 attacks killed US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three others.
An unidentified State Department official told Fox News that the officials were invited back to work after an internal review "reaffirmed" that no one "breached their duty."
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