Benghazi Mom Rages at Hillary Clinton on GOP Convention's Opening Night

CLEVELAND, OH — Pat Smith put her grief, her torment and her fury on public display at the Republican convention Monday night as the mother of a man slain in the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi.

Delegates were visibly moved to tears at Smith's raw commentary, and they shouted out encouragement and barbs aimed at the person Smith blames for the death of her son, Sean Smith, a foreign service officer assigned to a Libyan diplomatic outpost.

"I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son," Smith said. "She lied to me and then called me a liar.

"When I saw Hillary Clinton at Sean's coffin ceremony just days later she looked me squarely in the eye and told me a video was responsible."

Also on Patch

Scott Baio Trusts Donald Trump with the Lives of His Family: GOP Convention Blog

For years, Smith said, Clinton has been her nemesis and has denied her information about what happened to her son the night of Sept. 11, 2012. We now know the inadequately guarded post fell victim to a planned attack, as did a nearby CIA station. Support for the personnel came too late, and four Americans perished in the fighting, including the U.S. ambassador.

Smith's pain was raw, her eyes wide as she spoke, and her fury and grief washed over the delegates.

"How could she do this to me? How could she do this to any American family?"

Smith and the most ardent Trump supporters see Donald Trump as the last, best chance to avoid a Clinton presidency.

"Donald Trump is everything Hillary Clinton is not," Smith said. "He is blunt, direct and strong. He speaks his mind and his heart. And when it comes to the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism, he will not hesitate to kill the terrorists who threaten American lives.

"He will make America stronger, not weaker."

The grieving mother who lost her only son left this question with Republican assembly.

"If Hillary Clinton can't give us the truth, why should we give her the presidency?