Breaking: Fox News reports CIA command refused to help Benghazi consulate during attack

Hot Air ^ | 12:01 pm on October 26, 2012 | Ed Morrissey

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Yesterday, Leon Panetta told reporters that the US military didn’t intervene to assist our consulate in Benghazi during the attack because of a lack of real-time intelligence.  Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin now reports that the CIA got at least three requests for support from the annex in the city to help fend off the attack — and that the chain of command not only refused the requests, but ordered its personnel to “stand down.”  Two of the Americans killed in the terrorist attack disobeyed orders and attempted to rescue their fellow Americans:

Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that three urgent requests from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack nearly seven hours later were denied by officials in the CIA chain of command — who also told the CIA operators to “stand down” rather than help the ambassador’s team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a small team who were at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, they radioed to inform their higher-ups to tell them what they were hearing. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. An hour later, they called again to headquarters and were again told to “stand down.”

Woods, Doherty and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the Consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The quick reaction force from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the Consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Specter gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours — enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.

It’s not as if there was no resources to respond, either:

A Special Operations team, or CIF which stands for Commanders in Extremis Force, operating in Central Europe had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but they too were told to stand down. A second force that specializes in counterterrorism rescues was on hand at Sigonella, according to senior military and intelligence sources. According to those sources, they could have flown to Benghazi in less than two hours. They were the same distance to Benghazi as those that were sent from Tripoli. Specter gunships are commonly used by the Special Operations community to provide close air support.

Griffin’s sources tell her that the annex had painted a laser target at a terrorist mortar position and had called for an air strike.  I’m not sure what that looks like in Panetta’s world, but it at least sounds like real-time intelligence on the attack, as well as a clear target, if this report is correct.

Saxby Chambliss is right — this gets uglier every day.

[Marine_Uncle]

RE: "Any one see a thread...???"
Yeah. It is called treason.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Hot thread:

President Obama Begs Off Answering Whether Americans in Benghazi Were Denied Requests for Help ^

10/26/2012 4:19:34 PM PDT · by Palmetto Patriot

********************EXCERPT**************************************

ABC News ^ | 10/26/2012 | Jake Tapper

Posted on Fri 26 Oct 2012 16:19:34 PDT by Palmetto Patriot

In an interview with a Denver TV reporter Friday, President Obama twice refused to answer questions as to whether the Americans under siege in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, were denied requests for help, saying he’s waiting for the results of investigations before making any conclusions about what went wrong.

After being asked about possible denials of requests for aid, and whether it’s fair to tell Americans that what happened is under investigation and won’t be released until after the election, the president said, “the election has nothing to do with four brave Americans getting killed and us wanting to find out exactly what happened.

[Marine_Uncle]

So in effect he admits he did not know what went down. Vegas called. He had pressing campaigning commitments to meet.

[Marine_Uncle]

I have to get the hell out of here for a while and do something more relaxing like start my F18E Super Hornet using external Power unit and FPU unit sitting on the deck of the Nimitz some 90 miles NW of Key West. Once I have all systems checked out and fully operational. Taxi to catapult number one (the one closest to the starboard bow. Get permission to do a cat launch and then do some flying, perhaps air refueling. Then eventually fly the official NATOPS landing flying pattern around the carrier, drop the hook, full flaps, maintain permitted altitude and speed, and land the beast, aiming for a wire trip on the first wire.

Yeah know. Something a lot less stressing then keeping up on the FR boards on this current failed illegal weapon transfer operation. :)

[uncitizen]

Right but first he made clear that those 4dead folks worked “under” him and “were sent to dangerous places by” him.

Not they served “their country”. No, they served under The Him, The One, The Royal “Me”.

what a total and complete POS....puke!

[onyx]

Colossal liar.

We have to VOTE HIM OUT!

[TigersEye]

Yes, I know the State Dept. told the DoD SST to go home. State doesn’t even have to fund that. It’s already funded by DoD.

[Sirius Lee]

factor in manpads and everything adds up.

[Marine_Uncle]

Your being entirely to forgiving to the illegal usurper who sits in the White Hut.

[Marine_Uncle]

I'm still alive. Caught the first wire. Not bad for a night carrier landing. Call the ball. Little fast, slight less then recommended angle of attack during the last half mile glide path. But made it in once more. Correction required:
NATOPSNAVTOPS.
This is the beast I fly often doing carrier ops within Microsoft Flight Simulator, in case anyone may wonder what I am raving about.
VRS Superbug for FSX.
And soon to be purchasable VRS TACPACK.
The most detailed and accurate F18 Hornet available for any flight simulator on the world's market. One must fly this one carefully or crash. Cockpit controls are 98% functionally accurate as in real aircraft. Special built in flight dynamics and weapon system and radar etc., make it like flying the real thing.
Carrier OPS are a real rush for me most of the time. One little mistake and one had better bolter or crash on the deck or into the sea. And with any cross winds and air disturbances, air refueling taint no easy task.
I realize I digress from the issue being discussed, but I can take off from say the NATO US Airbase located at Sigonella, Sicily, loaded with appropriate JDAM,Sidewinder, and AIM-120 air to air missiles, and once at choosen altitude and autopilot set for flight to say Benghazi, turn on the flight computer display in one of the main left or right Display units and monitor how long I can fly with given fuel supply, at given speeds and altitude with given weather conditions, barometric readings, temperatures, etc..
One thing I did not mention in my original comments as to the flight time from that base for instance is that I would have been flying on fumes for the return trip, IF there where no air refueling tanker in the south central MED to re fuel at. And for the most part the same scenario would hold true for F16's that are stationed at that base.
We had no carrier in the Med at the time. So obviously using F16 are a mute point.
C-130U gun ships that could have been flown in with a much longer flight range of course but would have taken approx. 1.5 hours or more to target would have been fully within our military's immediate able aircraft to had made a huge change, based on the long time frame of the over all attack we now understand to be most accurate.
I'll leave it go at that. Just wanted to jot down a few notes as to air assets that could have been made available from the north. Not even going into the air assets that might have been flown in much quicker from some African bases.
I don't mean to sub track from our united cries that so much more could have been done to preserve the lives of those that went under that day in September in Benghazi.

[Marine_Uncle]

Your statements can be proven to be accurate. And as your aware, General Ham even suggested he loan out “free”, additional SECOPS from his command prior to that terrible day.

[nuconvert]

“Fox News reports CIA command refused to help Benghazi consulate during attack”

I thought I just saw a statement posted on Fox that said the opposite.

[nuconvert]

“...the CIA spokesman, presumably at the direction of CIA director David Petraeus, has put out this statement: “No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. “

Who, besides the president, has final say over the Director of the CIA? Biden?

[TigersEye]

And as your aware, General Ham even suggested he loan out “free”, additional SECOPS from his command prior to that terrible day.

I didn't know that but Lt. Col. Andrew Wood who headed the SST that was sent home said it in the Oversight Committee hearing. DoD funds the SST.

If you haven't heard this YOU MUST HEAR IT!

Rush military caller says that Obama ordered no response to Benghazi attack video 12:21

After you listen to that see this thread...

Proof that the President is Lying about Benghazi?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I think her Jennifer Griffin's report was this morning....the CIA statement was later and got discussed on Special Report i think,...and it was noted as very carefully crafted...

They were trying to resolve that on the round table....

It would be good if we had multiple eyes watching the three shows on Fox tonight....cause they are kicking out some news,....

Hannity interviewed Charlie Woods --the Father...he is making some very harsh accusations on those watching (In the white Hut) the realtime feeds from the attack.

He had Issa on who says 100% of their information is coming from Wistleblowers.

[Marine_Uncle]

Lt. Col. Andrew Wood mentioned that General Ham of AFRICOM told him that SECOPS could be delivered from his immediate command to certain places in Libya, for "free". He said it at HR Issa's four hour public hearing. If you did not book mark that CSPAN hearing, let me know and I will send you the URL link.

Thanks. I'll check out the two links you suggest. So much flying in, no pun meant, :) and only so many hours in a day to keep watch over the tons of posts and stuff at so many other sources.
I may have already viewed them. But that's ok.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OK,....Utah Congressman was on Hannity with Issa and said....that Gen Ham told him that he could supply help,...I think that was prior to the attack.

[TigersEye]

I forgot that he said that I guess. I have the link but thanks for the offer. Doubt that I will listen to the 4+ hours of that again. lol

[nuconvert]

Let’s say Petraeus wanted to engage & send help....Who besides the president can overrule the CIA Director in a situation like this? The VP? The Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs?

[nuconvert]

“....that Gen Ham told him that he could supply help”

I heard that. The General said that no one asked him to.