GOP Congressman Asks If Syria Strike Is About Distracting From Benghazi, IRS, NSA

President Barack Obama, flanked by Vice President Joe Biden, talks about the crisis in Syria to media gathered in the Rose Garden of the White House Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, in Washington.
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“On April 25, the White House legislative director Miguel Rodriquez wrote that … the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons. With the president’s red line [crossed], why was there no call for military response in April?” he asked Secretary of State John Kerry at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

“Was it a delayed to divert attention today from the Benghazi, IRS, NSA scandals; the failure of Obamacare enforcement, the tragedy of the White House-drafted sequestration, or upcoming debt limit vote?” he continued. “Again, why was there no call for a military response four months ago when the president’s red line was crossed?”

Kerry answered that at the time Obama didn’t believe the evidence was overwhelming enough to act.

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