According to a Fox News poll released late yesterday, American voters place the blame for the 9/11 Benghazi terror attack on President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Sixty percent of voters blame Clinton for what happened, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. That includes 28 percent who blame her “a great deal” and another 32 percent who say she deserves “some” blame.
Essentially the same number -- 59 percent -- blames Obama (26 percent “a great deal” and 33 percent “some”).
One voter in five says that the leaders are “not at all” responsible.
About four Democrats in 10 blames each: 41 percent blame Clinton, and 38 percent blame Obama. Twice as many Republicans blame the former secretary (80 percent) and the president (80 percent).
Among independents, about six in ten think Clinton (62 percent) and Obama (64 percent) are at least somewhat responsible.
When voters were asked about why they thought the Obama administration falsely blamed the attack on a YouTube video, most said it was to protect President Obama politically. At the time of the attack, President Obama was running for re-election against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and repeatedly stated on the campaign trail that al Qaeda, whose terror affiliates carried out the attack, was "on the run."
About half think it was to protect Obama politically (49 percent). The rest split between saying the White House just made a “mistake” (22 percent) and that they did it to protect America (19 percent).
Earlier this week, a Rasmussen Report came up with similar results. Respondents said they believe Benghazi will hurt Clinton should she choose to run for president in 2016 and an overwhelming majority said it is important to find out what happened.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters think the circumstances surrounding the murder of the U.S. ambassador and three other U.S. Embassy employees in Libya will hurt the former secretary of State if she runs for president in 2016.
Just 28% now rate the administration’s explanation of the events surrounding the murder of the ambassador and the others as good or excellent. That’s down nine points from a high of 37% in October. Forty-five percent (45%) give the administration poor marks for the Benghazi matter, the highest level of dissatisfaction to date.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) think it is at least somewhat important to find out exactly what happened in the events surrounding the murder of the four Americans in Libya, with 47% who say it is Very Important.
Nineteen percent (19%) view getting to the bottom of the Benghazi incident as unimportant, but that includes just four percent (4%) who say it’s Not At All Important.
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Republicans and 51% of voters not affiliated with either major party think it is Very Important to find out what happened in Benghazi, but only 27% of Democrats agree.
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Clinton infamously declaring during Congressional testimony, "What difference does it make!" when pressed on how and why four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.
Patricia Smith, mother of U.S. Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith who was killed in the Benghazi terror attack, told Fox News' Neil Cavuto yesterday that she is still seeking answers and that Clinton is the person who has them.
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