One year after the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi nearly half think that the Administration misled the public and many are still worried that embassy security is lacking.
September 11 is not only the twelfth anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but it is also the first anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador. One year after this attack, Americans in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll are not confident that security problems have been remedied.
Four months ago, opinion was also slightly negative. Four months ago, 82% of Democrats were confident that the Administration and the State Department were taking the right steps to prevent another attack; that percentage has dropped to 69% today.
As for the Administration’s handling of the Benghazi attack, nearly half believe it deliberately misled the American public in its explanations. Only 31% think it gave out information as it became available. In May, as Congress was holding hearings on the attacks, opinion also tended to be negative.
Republicans have always been dubious about the Administration’s honesty about these attacks. But now a majority of independents also think the Administration was less than honest. In May, 70% of Democrats supported the Administration’s presentation of facts. That percentage has now dropped to 58%.
