Marine commander (Col George Bristol) says no stand-down order in Benghazi attack

UPI.com ^ | Jul 31, 2013 | UPI

[xzins]

A Marine operations commander told lawmakers Wednesday he gave troops in Libya permission to respond to a September 2012 attack on a U.S. mission in Tripoli.

Testifying in closed session before the House Armed Services Committee, Col. George Bristol contradicted claims by some congressional Republicans he had issued a stand-down order following the attack, in which U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stephens and three other Americans were killed, The Hill reported.

Bristol, who commanded Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara at the time of the attack, said he gave the Tripoli security team leader, Lt. Col. S.E. Gibson, permission to act freely in response to the attack, The Hill said, citing a description it had received of the committee's members-only briefing.

Gibson told Congress last month he was ordered not to send his team to Benghazi because they were needed in Tripoli in the event of an attack on the U.S. Embassy.

Republicans argue the United States wasn't prepared to respond adequately to the Benghazi attack.

They accuse the Obama administration of downplaying or covering up the administration's handling of the attack, its lead-up and aftermath during the heat of the 2012 presidential campaign.

"Colonel Bristol has experience that could be valuable in deepening our understanding of the events of that day," a committee source told The Hill.

"Of particular interest to the committee is what our posture was in the weeks and months that preceded the attack," the source said.

Bristol, a seasoned combat commander, stepped down from his task force commander post in March.

[Yosemitest]

Take your blood pressure medicine first, but dig into ALL those links, even the ones behind the photos and the removed “images” .

[Prole]

I’ve been saying this for weeks. When GEN Ham joined hillary’s “what difference does it make” camp, I knew the fix was in for Bristol saying the same thing.

Both men clearly value their lives and careers above the truth on the Benghazi murders.

We are not, nor ever will be, allowed to know what really happened and why our brave American men were murdered.

[KTM rider]

No stand down order

but, No order to move either

No lies there

I resisted joining the politicians game when Vietnam was raging, and if I was young now I would do the same with this idiotic "WOT"

the US government is evil and rotten, Id rather stay home and mind my own than be one of the disposable bodies for the rotten disgusting politicians to do their evil deeds in some godforsaken hell hole

life is too short for that

but utmost respect to those who choose to play that game for their own noble reasons

[azkathy]

bookmark for later. great compilation of info

[Yosemitest]

Check this out:

CNN's Benghazi Bombshell:
Unprecedented effort to keep secrets under wraps

Friday, Aug 2, 2013 at 1:52 PM EDT



From the beginning Glenn has said there is more to the Benghazi story than being presented in the media.
Glenn believed early on this was a CIA operation and that gun running to Syria was at the root of the attack.
CNN has a bombshell new report on how the CIA is covering up details about the attack.

On radio this morning, Glenn played CNN’s exclusive news on the dozens of CIA agents who were on the ground who are now being pressured to stay quiet:



CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency’s Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out.
Since January some CIA operatives involved in the agency’s missions in Libya have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency’s working.
The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or congress.
It’s being described as pure intimidation with the threat that any unauthorized CIA employee who leaks information could face the end of his or her career.

In exclusive communications obtained by CNN, one insider writes, you don’t jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well.
Another says you have no idea the amount of pressure being brought to bear on anyone with knowledge of this operation.



“The administration is coming down on sources like you wouldn’t believe, like there’s just no tomorrow.
They are coming down on them hard,” Glenn said.

Glenn said he knew several sources and whistleblowers who have been intimidated into silence.
He also predicted that the administration would try and pressure CNN into shutting down this story.

“They are going to start putting pressure on them and pressure on their reporters
and they are going to start calling them in one by one and saying
your network is going off in the wrong direction and you need to be aware of it and, just, I can’t really meet with you anymore.
I can’t give you any kind of information, I can’t give you any kind of access.
And they will start to turn the spigots off and so they will try to isolate CNN and freeze them out.
And I know this to be true because I have seen it firsthand,” Glenn said.

“Thank you, CNN, for actually doing your job and reporting the news.
No matter where the chips may fall, thank you for doing it,
and we will keep you and your reporters in our prayers because we know you’re facing danger now.”

[yoe]

"A Marine operations commander told lawmakers Wednesday he gave troops in Libya permission to respond to a September 2012 attack on a U.S. mission in Tripoli.

I am confused.....

[CyberAnt]

You are correct .. without the signing of the CBA, there was nothing more to be done.

You only give a “stand down order” if you have previously given a “go order”.

Obviously, Obama did not sign the CBA; so there was NO GO order.

[ConorMacNessa]

Amen to that, FRiend! Well said!

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[ConorMacNessa]

Gaijin, what is the source of that quote?

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Vendome]

They had almost a year to get their stories straight.

Guess we’ll never know.

[stevie_d_64]

Well if the COP told the LTC he could respond as he saw fit, and a VIP told the LTC to stand down, who’s the VIP???

We still have not barked up the right tree yet in this WHOLE investigation...Someone is not doing their JOB, and we’ll all end up doing KP...

All kidding aside, there is still no real definitive word from the GEN HAMM (AFRICOM) and ADM Gyotte (Carrier Battle Group Commander, in the area)...They were relieved of command that very day of the attack...

I’d love to hear what they have to say...But then again...If they re-appear, they may end up being Fort Marcy Park’d before we ever do...

[little jeremiah]

You don’t know that 0thugga is a homo?

Seriously?

Or are you referring to someone else?

[little jeremiah]

I admittedly am ignorant about how the military works, but if there were assets in Libya, why would they have needed the CIC (so called) to give an order? The CIC alone would have had to give a CBA / Cross Border Authority order though if the assets were outside of Libya.

[onedoug]

Portrait of conflicts to come....