Posted on 10/20/2012 7:32:41 AM PDT by Snuph
House Armed Services chairman blocked from getting answers from senior military about threat warnings prior to Benghazi consulate attack...
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is demanding answers from four senior United States military officers about whether there was advance warning of terrorist threats and the need for greater security prior to last month’s terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
However, an aide to the chairman, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, (R., Calif.), said the office of secretary of defense Leon Panetta blocked the senior officers from providing the answers last night.
“The chairman is disappointed that the administration won’t respond to this basic request for information,” the aide said.
“It is nearly unprecedented that the office of the secretary of defense would prohibit a member of the uniformed military from answering direct questions posed by the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.”
Pentagon spokesman George Little told the Free Beacon: “We received the letters last night and are working expeditiously to provide a response.”
The chairman’s letters are dated Thursday. They were sent to Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, which is responsible for military activities in Africa; Adm. William H. McRaven, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command; Vice Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, director for operations at the Pentagon’s Joint Staff; and Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
McKeon asked the officers to provide answers to questions about security threats by the close of business Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
All of us need to drop this story line. If you see the national media going silent, it is not due to partisan politics.
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You can’t be serious — on either point. These statements are so misguided its stunning.
It’s not a claim. Those who have followed my posts over the years know that. I post sources when I can and I am the last person to ask that a story be quashed.
There have been a number of hints in the media about this problem and as I posted, there will be a shift away from this story.
So we should just relax in our man pads and be quiet?
I am quite serious and have struggled over whether to out this entire mess that Obama created due to his incompetence and islamist leanings.
Additionally, Libya is anarchy and chaos, our good intentions have been degraded because we could not and can not maintain control over events there.
“So we should just relax in our man pads and be quiet?”
It was Gaddafi’s purchase of the talked-about MPADS 7 years ago that precipitated these events.
We can’t put the horses back in the barn, but further probing by Congress needs to wait.
I can say that the death of Ambassador Stevens was collateral damage. My point is that the media watchers of FR need to take the hint to find something else to talk about for now.
there will be a shift away from this story
****
You’re behind the curve. Look, this has already happened. The media avoided covering it from the get go. The story is bigger than Libya, we get that, and that’s why it needs to be exposed.
Assuming your information is correct, how do you account for the fact that this request came from the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee? Would Chairman McKeon not have access to at least the same classified info that you claim to have? Why would he have even made this request if such a request would exopose or jeopardize a classified, ongoing operation?
NOTE: McKeon is on FOX right now being interviewed; so, apparently he and FOX News are not satisfied and are definitely NOT dropping the issue as of this morning.
(I did review your previous posts since the time of the assassination of Ambassador Stevens and you are obviously intelligent; knowledgeable and indicate experience as an Intel analyst in both the military and State Department. That said, you did initially “buy in” to the reports of the crowd demonstrating around the Benghazi conusulate which has since proved to have been untrue. So, isn't it possible that what you have heard is disinformation?) V/r, -Geoff
“behind the curve”?
Here’s my preliminary intel report on the attack that I posted on the morning after:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2930051/posts?page=38#38
You are correct that the story is much bigger than Libya and will play out over the next couple of months.
We know.
They know we know.
We know they know we know.
What’s there to be quiet about?
I am a great fan of Fox. They are less interested in the national security aspects of the story and are driven to further diminish Obama in hopes of getting Romney elected.
A laudable goal. Fox also needs to sell airtime, I do not. National security is more important to me, regarding this story. I think Romney is going to win anyway and piling on with this Libya debacle isn’t justified.
As I’ve said, the horses that are out of the barn can’t be quieted.
I woke up this morning to a stampede of Benghazi stories and felt I needed to say something that I have been quiet about for the last three weeks. Normally I would be posting daily about an issue like this and felt it was time for everyone to get onto something else for awhile.
The story is going to come out, largely through congressional sources. The intel community is hopping mad at O and Joe.
piling on with this Libya debacle isn’t justified
******
To the contrary, there are other significant dimensions to this problem and therefore pressing reasons to get to the bottom of this debacle and do so as quickly as possible. I expect that the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committe if fully aware of and appreciates the gravity of them. Those reasons extend beyond just the matter of arms and it’s not hard to figure out what they are.
For whatever reasons, Fox is doing the nation a service.
So much for Obama claims that he will "have the most transparent administration ever."
“All of us need to drop this story line. If you see the national media going silent, it is not due to partisan politics.”
The story line is weapons tracing through Libya. Big deal. That doesn’t mean we need to sacrifice our foreign service empployees and lie about it later as Obama has.
It is not FOX News involvement that is important; it is the fact that Chairman McKeon is still pushing this issue and is definitely not backing off. How does that “square” w/what you proposed in your initial post on this thread?
(NOTE: Per above, I do think Catherine Herridge (sp?) does an exemplary job as an investigative journalist. Brett Baer’s report last night on the events leading up to; and inclusive of, the Benghazi attack did a creditable job of summarizing that chronology for those who hadn't been paying attention or who had become confused by the various conflicting reports. Personally, I am still having problems accepting the explanation for how the DSO assigned to accompany Stevens and Smith in the safe room during the attack became separated from them. I think there are some details there that strain credulity.)
V/r,
-Geoff
Thank you everyone for the great comments.
COMPLETE CRIMINAL COVERUP. THE ARE SITTING ON SOMETHING VERY VERY DAMAGING. I THINK THAT they might even think that were the Obongo reelected, he could still get impeached over this if the full aspect comes out in the future, and we have a Republican Senate and House. This will be their biggest worry. a complete phyrric victor.
This is a completely different account from what I saw on Fox last night. Stevens was at the compound when the attack began. He was meeting with a dignitary from Turkey and walked him to the gate.
“Ambassador Stevens with two Marine guards and a visiting USAF communication specialist decided to drive to the consulate to either manage the situation or help evacuate to a nearby safe house. The consulate security was composed of Libyan nationals whom were advised of the travel of Stevens.
It appears that a Libyan security guard was in league with the Shaykh Omar Abdulrahman Brigades and advised them on the ambush timing.
As the ambassador’s vehicle neared the consulate it was hit with an RPG and disabled. Steven’s and the other three then engaged a running gunfight until they could get to the consulate.”
Make no mistake, my report the day after was hazy and the events are much clearer now, that’s why I stopped revising as incoming details became sensitive to other operations. I began this thread stating that Stevens death was collateral, that is obviously a significant revision to my reports the day after.
The reason I reposted was to respond that I have not been “behind the curve”.
Stevens was known to travel without security that was available to him and use local drivers. His hubris contributed to his loss.
Meeting with anyone at an unsecured Mission facility on 9/11 while deadly protests were underway across Africa and the Mid-east, is just flat not good thinking.
The two former SEALS did drive from the safe house to the Mission and were ambushed. Security was compromised by the locals, the essentials of my early report are correct. My naming of Azuz was the first report in the media. Subsequent reports by others naming Ansar al Sharia are mostly wrong.
Fox can report what they want, they are invested and are unable to let go of the story for many reasons. But they will be backing off soon.
“Chairman McKeon is still pushing this issue”
He can push all he wants but no one from our military or intel services is going to show up and McKeon is not going to issue subpoenas. The investigation will go on hold for at least two months which is a shame as Obama could really get tagged.
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