WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)–Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a senior Member of the Intelligence Committee, released the following statement after being appointed to the Select Committee on Benghazi:
“I’ve been involved in the investigation into Benghazi from day one as a Member of the Intelligence Committee because like every other American I want to know what happened, why it happened, how we can keep it from happening again, and I want to bring to justice those that perpetrated this horrible attack. But almost 18 months later, and after 8 reports from House and Senate committees and the Accountability Review Board, the questions that this select committee purports to investigate have been asked and answered time and time and time again.
“This morning (Wednesday, May 21), Leader Pelosi asked if I would serve on the select committee on Benghazi. While I do not believe that yet another committee to investigate Benghazi is either needed or warranted, I said that if it was felt I could add value I would serve.
“We must keep our focus where it should have been all along – on the deaths of those four brave Americans, on finding those responsible and bringing them to justice, and on implementing changes to our overseas security to make sure this never happens again. It is my hope that this latest investigative effort does not degenerate into a select committee on talking points, and that we retain a focus on the things that really matter — improving security and finding the killers.”
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In the House on Thursday, May 22, a bill by Schiff to end congressional authorization in one year for the President to use military force against the perpetrators of 9/11 was defeated following a floor debate by a vote of 191 in favor of the bill and 233 against.
Last year, a similar amendment by Schiff was considered as part of the FY 2014 Defense Appropriations bill – the first time since 2001 that the AUMF has been debated – and received 185 bipartisan votes, including 30 Republicans.
Following the September 11 attacks, the Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to provide the President with authorization to use “force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.”
Schiff stated: “The post 9/11 AUMF no longer properly encompasses the scope of military action that we are taking in the ongoing fight against terrorism. While the AUMF was originally directed at a fairly narrow range of actors, it has been used to sanction targeted strikes against groups and militants with little relation to the individuals who planned, authorized, and perpetrated the attacks on September 11, 2001.
“There is bipartisan support for bringing our actions into conformity with the law, and a broad recognition that Congress is abdicating its responsibility to define the nature of the conflict in which we are engaged. The time is now to sunset the AUMF, and it’s my hope that this vote will bring a sense of urgency about the issue in Congress and in the Administration.”
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In another military related action, Schiff announced that on the eve of Memorial Day, the House of Representatives has passed an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill urging Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to add the names of 74 sailors lost on the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans during the Vietnam War to the Vietnam Wall.
On June 3, 1969, the USS Frank E. Evans was cut in half by an Australian aircraft carrier in the South China Sea – 74 American sailors lost their lives. The USS Frank E. Evans was participating in a joint Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) exercise called “Sea Spirit” in the South China Sea with more than 40 ships of SEATO nations, at the time of the collision with HMAS Melbourne. Despite operating in Vietnamese waters immediately before deployment to Exercise Sea Spirit, and being scheduled to return to activities supporting the war effort after the exercise, it was determined that since Exercise Sea Spirit took place outside the geographical limit for the combat zone the crew was ineligible for inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
While the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans was not in the combat zone as defined by Executive Order 11216, the ship was supporting the ongoing military conflict in Vietnam and the crew was instrumental in advancing American military objectives in Vietnam. Not to mention, the crew had participated in conflict just days before the collision. Vietnam veterans have long argued that inclusion on the monument should not be determined by geographic location, and exceptions to this rule have previously been made for service members killed as part of the conflict but not in Vietnam itself. For example, those involved in operations in Laos (Laos was later included in the combat zone) and those dying in transit to or from Vietnam have been made are eligible for the memorial.
Since first being approached several years ago by a family of a sailor lost on the ship, Rep. Schiff has been pushing the Administration and successive Defense Secretaries to rectify this situatiom. After meeting with Rep. Schiff in Nov. 2010, Secretary of the Navy Mabus expressed his support for adding the 74 sailors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
After the vote in the House, Schiff stated: “Hopefully today’s vote puts us one step closer to the reality of seeing the names of the Lost 74 of the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans on the Vietnam Wall. They died serving our country during the Vietnam War and there is no reason for to deny these sailors their rightful place on the memorial.”
The U.S.S. Frank E. Evans Association praised the amendment and urged the Secretary to act quickly.
“The tragic loss of the USS Frank E Evans on 3 June, 1969, continues to haunt the families and shipmates of the 74 lost sailors who gave their lives for their country,” said Tim Wendler, President of the Association. “I lost my father days before my second birthday, and my mom, became a much too young 21 year-old widow. This haunting continues because we, as a nation, have failed to adequately address an issue which could, once and for all, provide closure to the families, shipmates and survivors of this tragedy. We deeply appreciate the action of the House today, led by Congressman Adam Schiff, to remember our Lost 74 Heroes and begin the healing process.”
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Preceding provided by Congressman Adam Schiff