Anti-doping agency releasing evidence against Armstrong

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has denied numerous accusations of doping over the years. Look back at his record-setting career. Armstrong, 17, competes in the Jeep Triathlon Grand Prix in 1988. He became a professional tri-athlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later. In 1995, Armstrong wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France. He finished 36th overall and finished the race for the first time that year. Armstrong rides for charity in May 1998 at the Ikon Ride for the Roses to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He established the foundation to benefit cancer research after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in February 1997. Armstrong leads his teammates during the final stage of the 1999 Tour de France. Armstrong takes his honor lap on the Champs Elysees in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999. After winning the 2000 Tour de France, Armstrong holds his son Luke on his shoulders. Armstrong rides during the 18th stage of the 2001 Tour de France. He won the tour that year for the third consecutive time. Armstrong celebrates winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in 2001. After winning the 2001 Tour de France, Armstrong presents President George W. Bush with a U.S. Postal Service yellow jersey and a replica of the bike he used to win the race. Armstrong celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France by 61 seconds in 2003. It was his fifth consecutive win. Jay Leno interviews Armstrong on "The Tonight Show" in 2003. After his six consecutive Tour de France win in 2004, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Armstrong arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles with his then-fiancee Sheryl Crow. The couple never made it down the aisle, splitting up the following year. Armstrong holds up a paper displaying the number seven at the start of the Tour de France in 2005. He went on to win his seventh consecutive victory. As a cancer survivor, Armstrong testifies during a Senate hearing in 2008 on Capitol Hill. The hearing focused on finding a cure for cancer in the 21st century. In 2009, Armstrong suffers a broken collarbone after falling during a race in Spain along with more than a dozen other riders. Young Armstrong fans write messages on the ground using yellow chalk ahead of the 2009 Tour de France. He came in third place that year. Armstrong launches the three-day Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by his foundation. In May 2010, Armstrong crashes during the Amgen Tour of California and is taken to the hospital. That same day, he denied allegations of doping made by former teammate Floyd Landis. Ahead of what he said would be his last Tour de France, Armstrong gears up for the start of the race in 2010. Armstrong finishes 23rd in the 2010 Tour de France. He announced his retirement from the world of professional cycling in February 2011. He said he wants to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer. Armstrong's son Luke; twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace; and 1-year-old son, Max, stand outside the Radioshack team bus on a rest day during the 2010 Tour de France. The frame of Armstrong's bike is engraved with the names of his four children at the time and the Spanish word for five, "cinco." His fifth child, Olivia, was born in October 2010. In February 2012, Armstrong competes in the 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Panama City. He went on to claim two Half Ironman triathlon titles by June. He got back into the sport after retiring from professional cycling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 NEW: Armstrong's lawyer blasts allegations as a "one-sided hatchet job" NEW: Three team members will contest the accusations, the doping agency says The agency says this was "the most sophisticated" doping program in cycling Armstrong has long denied using performance-enhancing drugs (CNN) -- Cyclist Lance Armstrong was part of "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen," the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday in preparing to release more than 1,000 pages of evidence in the case. The evidence involving the U.S. Postal Service-sponsored cycling team encompasses "direct documentary evidence including financial payments, e-mails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong," the agency said. Armstrong lawyer Tim Herman dismissed what he called a "one-sided hatchet job" and a "government-funded witch hunt" against the seven-time Tour de France winner, who has consistently denied doping accusations. But the USADA said 11 riders had come forward to acknowledge their use of banned performance-enhancing drugs while on the team. Among them are George Hincapie, Armstrong's teammate during his winning Tour de France runs. What's behind the Armstrong headlines The United States Anti-Doping Agency has brought formal charges against Lance Armstong, a seven-time Tour de France champion. He denies using performance-enhancing drugs. Click through the gallery to see other athletes accused of using drugs to boost their careers. Olympic track star Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison in 2008 for lying to federal prosecutors investigating the use of performance-enhancing substances. Baseball outfielder Barry Bonds, the single-season and all-time home run record holder, was convicted in 2011 of obstruction of justice for impeding a grand jury investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds had testified that he thought his personal trainer was giving him arthritis balm and flaxseed oil, not steroids or testosterone. Slugger Mark McGwire evaded questions about steroid use before Congress in 2005 but in 2010 admitted that he had used steroids during the 1990s. Pitching legend Roger Clemens is on trial on charges that he lied to Congress in 2008 about being injected with human growth hormone and steroids by his former trainer. Home-run hitter Sammy Sosa was among the players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 testing by Major League Baseball, according to the New York Times. Mixed martial arts heavyweight fighter Alistair Overeem failed a random drug test in 2012 but blames it on prescribed anti-inflammatory medication for an injury. New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Charles Grant tested positive for banned substances in 2008 and was suspended for the rest of the season. He is currently a free agent. Former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister tested positive for a banned diuretic in 2008. Shawne Merriman, then of the San Diego Chargers, was suspended for four games after testing positive for steroids in 2006. Former linebacker Bill Romanowski admitted using steroids during his career. Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing was suspended for four games after violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs in 2010. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Sport's era of shame? "Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them," Hincapie said in a written statement. "I deeply regret that choice and sincerely apologize to my family, teammates and fans." Three members of the Postal Service team will contest the accusations, the agency said. They are team director Johan Bruyneel, team doctor Pedro Celaya and Jose "Pepe" Marti, the team trainer. Each will get a hearing before an independent judge, according to the agency. The agency compiled the evidence as part of its investigation into doping allegations that have dogged Armstrong and the Postal Service team for years. The organization is not a governmental agency but is designated by Congress as the country's official anti-doping organization for Olympic sports. In August, four days after a federal judge dismissed Armstrong's lawsuit seeking to block the agency's investigation, Armstrong announced he would no longer fight the accusations. The agency then announced it would ban Armstrong from the sport for life and strip him of his titles dating back to 1998. Armstrong: It's time to move forward The agency praised the 11 riders who came forward to document the widespread use of banned substances by the team. But in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, attorney Herman called the expected USAA report "a taxpayer-funded tabloid piece rehashing old, disproved, unreliable allegations, based largely on axe-grinders, serial perjurers, coerced testimony, sweetheart deals and threat-induced stories." In addition to Hincapie, the agency identified the cyclists who came forward as Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie. "It took tremendous courage for the riders on the USPS Team and others to come forward and speak truthfully. It is not easy to admit your mistakes and accept your punishment," the agency said. The agency said those riders would receive various punishments, including suspensions and disqualifications. The scope of evidence against the team is "overwhelming," according to the agency. Brennan on Armstrong: 'He gave up' Armstrong won't fight doping charges A snapshot of Lance Armstrong's future "The USPS Team doping conspiracy was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs, to evade detection, to ensure its secrecy and ultimately gain an unfair competitive advantage through superior doping practices," the agency said. Your Armstrong questions answered Armstrong became a household name not only in Europe, where cycling is wildly popular, but also in the United States, where the sport traditionally attracted little attention before he embarked on a remarkable stretch between 1999 and 2005 during which he won seven consecutive Tour de France titles. The wins came amid persistent accusations that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. Author and cycling journalist Bill Strickland compared the case to baseball's "Black Sox" scandal, when Chicago White Sox players conspired with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series. But he said Armstrong is "not interested in ever admitting to his guilt, and he just wants to move on right now." "Despite this evidence and despite all the evidence that has come out, he's got a strong core of people who believe in him and will always believe in him because of his link to fighting cancer," said Strickland, who chronicled Armstrong's 2009 return to the Tour de France in a 2011 book. But how Armstrong might move on is unclear. "Certainly, he's not going to be able to move on within the sport," Strickland told CNN. "It seems likely that all of his Tour victories will be stripped. He won't be allowed to participate in any sports that are signatories of WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. But he's found a few triathlons to do in the meantime." And he said the allegations could lead to the reopening of a criminal case against Armstrong that federal prosecutors closed without charges in February. "What's next is years and years of fighting if the criminal case is reopened," Strickland said. The USADA opened its own case, which does not carry criminal penalties, in June. In his statement Wednesday, Hincapie said he had been approached by federal investigators two years ago to discuss his knowledge of the doping activities by the team. He did not mention Armstrong by name. Opinion: Armstrong and the tenuous nature of heroism "I would have been much more comfortable talking only about myself, but understood that I was obligated to tell the truth about everything I knew. So that is what I did," Hincapie said. "Cycling has made remarkable gains over the past several years and can serve as a good example for other sports," he said. "Thankfully, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is no longer embedded in the culture of our sport, and younger riders are not faced with the same choice we had." Barry, another of the 11 who testified about their involvement in doping practices, said he would accept his punishment and hopes the details will help strengthen efforts to root out and end doping across the sport. "Progressive change is occurring," he said. "My hope is that this case will further that evolution." Armstrong's cancer foundation still strong

Meningitis scare reveals lax oversight

There are no federal sterility guidelines for compounding pharmacies The FDA has no jurisdiction until there is a problem Two lawmakers are introducing legislation to strengthen the FDA's oversight 12 people have died in a meningitis outbreak linked to a steroid Framingham, Massachusetts (CNN) -- If Sarah Sellers' warnings had been taken seriously 10 years ago, 12 people might be alive today. Sellers, a pharmacist and expert on the sterile compounding of drugs, testified to Congress in 2003 about non-sterile conditions she'd witnessed. "Professional standards for sterile compounding have not been consistently applied," she told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. "The absence of federal compounding regulations has created vulnerability in our gold standard system for pharmaceutical regulation." Nearly 10 years later, there are still no federal sterility guidelines for compounding pharmacies that make and distribute drugs all over the country. Now, 137 cases and 12 fatalities nationwide are blamed on a rare, noncontagious form of meningitis linked to contaminated steroid injections made by the Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center. The pharmacy announced Wednesday it has established a recall operations center to manage the removal of all its products from circulation. Gupta on rising meningitis death toll Pharmaceutical center next to waste site At least two lawmakers are introducing bills to strengthen the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of compounding pharmacies. "Unfortunately, compounding pharmacies are a 19th century service operating in a 21st century industry, and we need to update and strengthen the rules that govern these operations so that patients can safely benefit from the unique service they offer," Rep. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, said in a statement. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to introduce this legislation and to ensure FDA has the authority it needs to oversee these pharmacies and protect patients." Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, vowed similar action. "This outbreak and the corresponding recall of products from the New England Compounding Center expose dramatic gaps in our drug safety standards that create an unnecessary risk to the public health," she wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. While compounding pharmacies were intended to create customized medications for specific patients, some "have evolved into large scale operations that produce sizeable quantities of some drugs," she wrote. "For example, cases in the current outbreak are spread across nine states and more than 17,500 doses of the potentially contaminated drug were shipped to 23 states. At the same time, the FDA lacks clear authority for ensuring the safety of these products and last updated its guidance for (the) industry in 2002." The FDA has been working on new guidelines since at least 2006, but the effort is "still in progress," FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson said. Currently, the FDA does not have jurisdiction over compounding pharmacies until there is a problem. FDA officials say they have been fighting to change that for more than 20 years. The compounding pharmacy industry has challenged those efforts, and courts have ruled that individual state health departments are in charge. "These facilities are inspected upon initial licensure and in reponse to complaints," said Alec Loftus of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Massachusetts requires compound pharmacies to be licensed by the state board, but does not require accreditation. That's a voluntary process that only 162 out of 3,000 compounding facilities have obtained, according to the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board. "The oversight appears to be quite lax," said CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reporting from Massachusetts about the contaminated drugs. The New England Compounding Center (NECC) "can distribute thousands of doses of drugs and it doesn't necessarily have to be accredited." NECC's building in Framingham, Massachusetts, is also home to a garbage compactor and recycling center. CNN observed a medical waste truck making a drop, as well as piles of garbage, boxes, and old mattresses on the back side of the pharmacy compound building. Both companies are owned by the same people. If the site had been accredited, officials would have examined the facilities and considered whether there are concerns about the site sharing space with a garbage facility, Gupta said. "Our investigation into NECC and the outbreak with our partners in Massachusetts are ongoing, so I can't comment directly on how this factors in," said Jefferson, the FDA spokeswoman. There is no law that specifies a minimum proximity between a compounding pharmacy and other establishments. The Massachusetts Department of Health has warned the NECC multiple times since 2002 about unsanitary conditions at its facility. Compounding pharmacies were originally created for doctors or pharmacists to make small amounts of custom medications -- for example, adding flavored syrup to a cough medicine, or creating a smaller dose for an individual patient if it's not created commercially. They've grown into a much larger business. Pharmacy compounding accounts for 37 million prescription drugs in the United States each year. Some compounders ship thousands of custom drugs all over the country. NECC is licensed to distribute to surgery centers and pain clinics in 50 states. CNN's Danielle Dellorto reported from Framingham; CNN's Elizabeth Cohen and William Hudson reported from Atlanta. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

Vodka marketed by a veteran, for veterans

Courtesy of Travis McVey Travis McVey, a Marine veteran, has won several spirit-industry awards for his new Heroes Vodka. By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor Between sampling and selling his first batch of Heroes Vodka, Marine veteran Travis McVey concocted a catchy marketing slogan. "Some people drink to forget. We drink to remember," McVey said in a phone interview this week, referring partly to two friends, Marine buddies killed in the line of duty. "I was sitting at the VFW on (a recent) Memorial Day with some other veterans. I was looking at the bar," McVey said. "I was thinking: No one has ever really marketed a veteran-owned spirit company. And what better name than 'Heroes?' Everybody has served, but the guys who didn't come back are true heroes to me. I wanted to create a product that would be in honor of their service, something that people could raise their glass to and give a toast." The first vodka made by a veteran for veterans hit stores last February in Tennessee, where McVey lives. For distribution, he partnered with Nashville-based Lipman Brothers. This fall, Heroes became available in six more states, including New York and Georgia, and the company plans to expand into New England and the Pacific Northwest. A portion of the profits will be used to help ex-service members, McVey said. In addition to winning several spirit-industry taste awards for its self-described "slightly toasty and roasted" flavor, Heroes offers an intriguing business test case. Veteran entrepreneurs – McVey calls them "vetrepreneurs" – aim to tap an ultra-loyal, 22 million-member veteran community to shop their services or push their products, including: wild salmon, a "defensive driving" school, appliance repair, a barber shop and, now, vodka. Veterans buy from veterans: That's the hot saying in ex-military financial circles, particularly with hundreds of thousands of former service members unable to land jobs. That patriotic consumer base has convinced more than 3 million men and women who have served the country to launch small businesses, reports the National Veteran-Owned Business Association. The group uses a two-word logo and mantra: "Buy veteran." "Veterans are going to give me a first look" for their next vodka purchase, said McVey, 42. "But that's also because veterans are known for their quality of service. It's who we are, and how we're trained. So, yeah, veterans will give another veteran a shot. That's just what we do." McVey's personal tale also seems to resonate, he said, with some of the store owners who stock his spirit. He served as a member of the presidential honor guard from 1989 to 1992, providing support to President George H.W. Bush. Two fellow Marines with whom he trained and served have since died in the line of duty – one in Afghanistan, one while working as an Indiana state trooper. Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter "The retailers just open up to me when I tell my story. I think my closing rate is 95 or 96 percent," McVey said. His friends who inspired the spirit "were great men and great Marines." But at a time when the Defense Department has been told that a major drinking problem exists within its ranks, McVey must carefully craft his message, which is accompanied by bottle labels adorned with red-and-white stripes, a blue background and a silver star. His web site plays a military-esque musical score with a marching beat. A study requested by the department, and issued last month by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Medicine, found that the rate of binge drinking in the military increased from 35 percent in 1998 to 47 percent in 2008, the latest year for which data is available. "So there is a culture (of alcohol) – it's young people and it's high stress," said Dennis McCarty, a member of the committee that authored the report and a professor in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. "That's the challenge for (the Defense Department) – to deal with a culture that tolerates those levels of use and, in some ways, tacitly supports it with less-expensive alcohol being provided on bases," McCarty said. "I can't speak to the (Heroes Vodka) product." Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com Said McVey: "This is being marketed in a responsible and a classy way. It's not about getting hammered. It's about toasting our heroes and their service to our country. For the people who drink responsibly, we want them to raise their glasses with Heroes." His vodka, made only with Iowa corn, retails for $13 to $16 for a 750-milliliter bottle, $18 to $20 for a liter bottle and $21.99 to $27.99 for a 1.75-liter bottle. Courtesy of Travis McVey As a Marine, Travis McVey helped protect President George H.W. Bush. Two buddies from that unit later were killed, one in Afghanistan, one while working in law enforcement in the US. McVey declined to say what percentage of his proceeds will ultimately go to veterans groups, explaining: "We didn't put an exact percentage on there because people critique it, whatever you do. "The veterans get paid first. I'm in business to make money for my family, and my family are veterans. So they're equal partners and it's a split between myself, the veterans, and Robert (Lipman, president and CEO of Lipman Brothers). "My goal is they make just as much money as I do off this. Because my two friends that died are guys I went out and had a few drinks with and trained with. That's the reason I created this brand so that's the reason why I want this portion to go back to veterans."

2 killed when college parking garage collapses

View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com. By NBCMiami.com and NBC News staff Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET: Police say a second body has been found in the rubble of a collapsed parking garage at Miami-Dade Community College's west campus in Doral, Fla. Hours after the collapse at 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, one person remained trapped in the rubble. Six crew members were with the person giving him oxygen and attending to his needs as others removed the heavy debris, said Capt. Louie Fernandez of Fire Rescue. Another person who had been trapped was rescued. "The person cannot be moved. We literally have to lift and remove tons of debris around him," he said. Some 300 rescuers rushed to the scene when a portion of the five-story parking garage at 3800 N.W. 115th Ave. collapsed in what authorities call a "pancake-style collapse." Police said it appeared that only construction workers were at the site. Read the original report  |  More from NBCMiami.com J Pat Carter / AP Firefighters remove a victim from the rubble after a section of a parking garage under construction at Miami-Dade College campus collapsed in Doral, Fla., Oct. 10, 2012. Four people were transported to Kendall Regional hospital in Miami, and three others were treated on the scene with minor injuries. The garage was under construction and had yet to open, so no students were in danger, said college spokesman Juan Mendieta. One construction worker said he was on the top floor during the collapse and he started running. He described the floors as pancakes stacked on top of each other. Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter The debris was about 20 feet high and a crane and heavy truck were inside the work area when the garage collapsed. Street around the garage were completely blocked off. Aerial footage showed firefighters escorting a man, who appeared to be a construction worker, out of the garage, while rescuers apparently searched through the debris. Victoria Buczynski of Miami said she saw the collapse while she was working at Gurkha Cigars directly across the street from the construction site. The rubble of a garage under construction is seen at Miami-Dade College's west campus in Doral, Fla., on Wednesday. "It fell to the ground like a house of cards," Buczynski said. "The construction workers started running out, screaming. It was loud. Our entire building shook." The construction of the 1,855-space garage was nearly complete. Ground was broken on the $22.5 million project in February, and it was to be finished in December, according to the website of the contractor, Ajax Building Corp. William P. Byrne, Ajax president  and chief executive officer, said in a statement said an internal review was being launched to determine the cause. "While we do not yet know the cause of this tragic collapse, we are committed to working actively and cooperatively with our design and construction partners and local, state and federal authorities to determine the exact cause of this accident," the statement said. The statement also said safety was a priority for the company. More content from NBCNews.com: Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? San Francisco sheriff reinstated despite domestic abuse conviction Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Lawyer defends release of names of alleged Boy Scout molesters Found in suitcase at LAX: Smoke grenade, hatchet, body bags, leg irons 'Warmest year' looking more likely for 2012 across continental US Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

1 killed when college parking garage collapses

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to a garage collapse at Miami-Dade College's west campus in Doral, Oct. 10, 2012, officials said Wednesday. By NBCMiami.com One person was killed and two people were trapped when a parking garage at Miami-Dade Community College's west campus in Doral, Fla., collapsed Wednesday, officials said. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the college when a portion of the six-floor parking garage at 3800 N.W. 115th Ave. collapsed around 11:40 a.m., police said. Police said it appeared as if the garage was occupied by construction workers only. Read the original report  |  More from NBCMiami.com Four people were transported to Kendall Regional hospital in Miami, and three others were treated on the scene with minor injuries. And authorities said three people were unaccounted for. No students were in danger, said college spokesman Juan Mendieta. He added that it was a garage under construction. Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter Aerial footage showed firefighters escorted a man, who appeared to be a construction worker, out of the garage, while firefighters apparently searched through the debris. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Technical Rescue Collapse Unit was also at the scene. More content from NBCNews.com: Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? San Francisco sheriff reinstated despite domestic abuse conviction Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Lawyer defends release of names of alleged Boy Scout molesters Found in suitcase at LAX: Smoke grenade, hatchet, body bags, leg irons 'Warmest year' looking more likely for 2012 across continental US Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Security at Libya consulate 'weak,' officer testifies

Associated Press House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., arrives on Capitol Hill on Oct. 10 for a hearing on the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. By NBC News staff and wire services A Special Forces soldier, a former U.S. security officer in Libya and others were testifying on Capitol Hill Wednesday in hearings on security at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, at the time of an attack that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. The hearings over whether the Sept. 11 attack could have been averted are expected to sharpen the increasingly partisan and emotional debate over foreign policy in the run-up to national elections. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, called the hearings and has accused the State Department of turning aside pleas from its diplomats in Libya to increase security in the months before the attack in Benghazi. "The security in Benghazi was a struggle and remained a struggle throughout my time there ... Diplomatic security remained weak,'' according to written testimony by Lt. Col. Andrew Wood, who worked as a security officer in Libya before the attack. "The RSO (regional security officer) struggled to obtain additional personnel there (in Benghazi), but was never able to attain the numbers he felt comfortable with," Wood said. Wood served as the security team commander in Libya from Feb. 12 to Aug. 14, until just about a month before the attack on the diplomatic post in Benghazi. Also among the witnesses scheduled for Wednesday is Eric Nordstrom, the former chief security officer for U.S. diplomats in Libya, who told the committee his pleas for more security were ignored. Briefing reporters Tuesday ahead of the hearing, State Department officials were asked about the administration's initial — and since retracted — explanation linking the violence to protests over an American-made anti-Muslim video circulating on the Internet. Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter In a break with other administration officials, the officials said the department never believed the attack was a protest gone awry over a film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad, while "others" in the Obama administration initially drew that conclusion. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter. It was a top administration diplomatic official — U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice — who gave a series of interviews five days after the attack that wrongly described the attack as spontaneous. She said the administration believed the violence was unplanned and that extremists with heavier weapons "hijacked" the protest against the anti-Islamic video. She did qualify her remarks to say that was the best information she had at the time. Rice since has denied trying to mislead Congress. Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com Handling of security and the aftermath of the attack has become an increasingly prominent theme for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and other Republican leaders who say they never believed the original explanation. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are saying that they have been left out of the investigation leading up to today's hearing on the Sept. 11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, calling it "completely one-sided and unique." "Chairman Issa is saying this is a bipartisan investigation, and it isn't," a high ranking Democratic aide from the committee told NBC, "I've been here for 13 years and haven't seen a more one-sided investigation." According to Democrats on the committee, they have had no access to documents that Republicans claim to have pertaining to the investigation.  They also say that they have had no access to one of their witnesses, Lt Col Andrew Wood, who is expected to testify that security in Libya was inadequate for embassy staff considering the situation on the ground. The aide said they DID have access to the committee's interview with Eric Nordstrom, who acts as a Regional Security Officer for the State Department, but only because Ranking Member Rep Elijah Cummings (D-MD) assisted with arranging the interview. Cummings was asked last week if he thought the hearing was political, answering "I think it's a lot politics, come on."  He released a statement later saying he supports investigating the attacks in Benghazi, but in a more strategic way.  NBC News staff, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: Doping agency claims proof of cheating by cyclist Armstrong Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? San Francisco sheriff reinstated despite domestic abuse conviction Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Florida woman fends off attack from 'Mystery Monkey' Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook