‘The Saddest Phone Call I’ve Ever Had in My Life’

Benghazi whistleblower Gregory Hicks, the former chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Libya and the charge d’affaires in the country after the death of American ambassador Chris Stevens, testified today about receiving the phone call informing him of his colleagues passing.

Visibly emotional, Hicks told the committee, “At about 3 a.m., I received a call from the prime minister of Libya. I think it’s the saddest phone call I’ve ever had in my life, and he told me that Ambassador Stevens had passed away. I immediately telephoned Washington that news afterwards and, again, accelerated our effort to withdraw from the compound and move to the annex.”

Hicks is one of three whistleblowers appearing before the House Oversight Committee today to testify about the 9/11 attack on the American diplomatic facility in Benghazi and the administration’s response to it.