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State Dep’t suspected in April that Libyan guards at Benghazi consulate had tried to attack it
Hot Air ^ | 8:01 pm on October 15, 2012 | Allahpundit

Posted on 10/15/2012 10:09:04 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Time for your daily reminder that State didn’t merely stick Chris Stevens with “average” security despite him living and working in one of the jihadi-est places on earth. The security they provided him was actively, inexplicably, inexcusably bad. And before you read any further, let me remind you that the ominous chat-room message posted by Sean Smith the day he died about a Libyan guard taking photos of the compound still hasn’t been addressed by anyone in the government that I’ve seen. Did Stevens’s security break down to the point that his killers actually had someone on the inside?

More red flags from Reuters:

State Department officials suspected that two Libyan guards hired by its own security contractor were behind an April incident in which a homemade bomb was hurled over the wall of the special mission in Benghazi, according to official emails obtained by Reuters…

The April attack illustrated concerns among some U.S. officials in Libya that hiring local residents for embassy guard duties could in itself raise security issues.

The emails identified one of the suspects in that incident as a former employee of Blue Mountain Group who had been fired four days earlier for vandalism, and said the other was still working for the company. Both were unarmed guards who performed routine security tasks, such as screening visitors.

Both suspects were ultimately released after being interrogated by the local “police,” a.k.a. the February 17 Martyrs Brigade, which was partly responsible for providing security for the consulate and whose members were last seen hiding on the roof during the attack because they weren’t ready for it. No word on whether either of them was still working for Blue Mountain on 9/11, but that brings us to another unanswered question. Why did State hire Blue Mountain, an inexperienced firm, in the first place?

Other firms in the security industry expressed surprise that Blue Mountain had won a large, high profile contract from the US government. One industry executive said the level of service Blue Mountain provided did not appear adequate to the risks presented by a lawless city.

“We have visited the consulate in Benghazi a number of times and have an excellent relationship with the Americans. Our assessment was the unarmed Libyan guards were extremely poor calibre,” said one security source. “The Libyan Ministry of Interior are generally not happy with Blue Mountain and had them on their close observation/target list.”

The New York Times last week reported that major security firms with a track record of guarding US premises elsewhere had made approaches to undertake work in Libya but were rebuffed.

“We went in to make a pitch, and nothing happened,” a security firm official told the newspaper.

Blue Mountain had six employees on the scene, five Libyans and one British supervisor recruited from “the celebrity bodyguard circuit.” Security was sufficiently weak that BM’s local affiliate, Blue Mountain Libya, complained to its parent company this past summer that the resources they were being given weren’t enough. State was asked to intervene in the dispute between the two — but chose to do nothing. So it came to be that the U.S. ambassador ended up on 9/11 at a consulate that was vulnerable even according to its own security detail, and which State had had ample opportunity to fortify. Meanwhile, on the same day, the U.S. embassy in Barbados enjoyed protection from a detail of Marines. “Smart power,” 2012.

Just as O’s interest in an “easy” intervention in Libya made a difficult intervention in Syria more difficult, State’s decision to half-ass security for the Benghazi consulate has created a new, bigger security headache for the White House in Libya. Namely, how hard do they hit the local jihadis in reprisal? The Libyan government doesn’t want to approve an attack lest it be seen as a U.S. stooge at a moment when it’s trying to build legitimacy, and the U.S. doesn’t want to raise the profile of a group like Ansar al-Sharia by making it the Great Satan’s new enemy number one. There is a compromise solution, but of course it’s not ready yet. If only State had thought of this before letting a smile be Chris Steven’s umbrella against the mujahedeen.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: benghazi; candycrowley; davidaxelrod; libya; mediawingofthednc; partisanmediashills; shadowwars; threatmatrix
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To: arrogantsob; Ernest_at_the_Beach
Do you believe, as some here do, that this was a kidnapping scheme which got out of hand?

See what Lame Cherry has to say -- pretty scathing.

21 posted on 10/16/2012 1:27:02 AM PDT by thecodont
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To: Bon mots

Nice work there Bon mots.


22 posted on 10/16/2012 7:51:33 AM PDT by GOPJ (Candy picks ALL questions to ask from the hundreds submitted - Citizens are stage props.)
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To: chris37

I am guessing you have not been thru the long thread from Sat night discussing Col Hunt’s interview ....see if I can find it.


23 posted on 10/16/2012 8:08:40 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Col. Hunt on the Newest Libyan Revelations (huge coverup!)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2944272/posts

see Post #14:

“For six hours the entire military, intelligence, diplomatic and civil command structure of the United States government watched, in real time, as our consulate in Benghazi was under attack, while our ambassador and his hobbled security died.

That command structure did nothing. Afterward, they lied outright to cover-up their own culpability for political reasons. An intelligence failure, under the circumstances, was impossible.”

This thread has links to Benghazi threads for cross reference:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2944345/posts


24 posted on 10/16/2012 8:21:50 AM PDT by nanetteclaret (Unreconstructed Catholic Texan)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Oh yes, I had heard Col. Hunt’s interview on the Carr show on Sunday I think it was.

You know I’m reallt at a loss at this point as to what to do.

If congress refuses to perform its function and impeach and convict this criminal president, then I am ready for the marines to go in and get him out of there.

This man is dangerous. I would not be surprised at all if he purposely starts wwIII on purpose in thenext couple of months.


25 posted on 10/16/2012 8:24:40 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
BHO took off for Vegas on the 12th. That is going to be something the WH simply cannot hide. Is Clinton going to take the full heat regarding her not supposedly informing the White House prior to his Vegas flight.
I have watched parts of the 4 hour hearing about four times since it came out. For anyone still not having the opportunity to watch it, it can be found here.

I'm quite aware of the stuff Colonel Hunt suggested is standard operational procedures, such as the WH would have people viewing the same stuff by feed, as Lamb and other's watched in real time.

26 posted on 10/16/2012 8:33:25 AM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned.)
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To: Marine_Uncle; chris37; NormsRevenge; TigersEye
What Hunt said ....multiple Situation Rooms monitoring situation has not come up in the media I have been watching....WJY NOT?

Any ideas?

27 posted on 10/16/2012 9:33:17 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Bon mots

Nice Work!


28 posted on 10/16/2012 9:37:16 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

As far as I know, it only came up on Rush’s show yesterday via a well informed caller.

He mentioned the interview and described exactly this.

Rush’s only theory was that such systems must not have been enabled yet since the embassy was relatively new. the man said not according to Col. Hunt.

Rush responded that if that is true, then, paraphrasing here, there is nothing good in this at all.

This is why I thought that Rudy Gulianni saying that this embassy had been attacked twice previously dispells any possibility that security system were not activated, they knew this location was a target.

Why isn’t this being openly dicucssed? Because our traitor president his having his ass covered again by the media, by our congress, by our intelligence agencies, everyone.

Ernest, I think we have a dangerous, dangerous man in the white house, and I think that it is very possible that we are going to pay a high price for this folly.


29 posted on 10/16/2012 9:40:37 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"Any ideas?".
Only the possibility Col. Hunt was not totally accurate in his descriptions regarding how the various parts of gov. could simply switch to "channel 47", and all receive real time communications.
Either that or they are all still horrified at what they are going to have to start reporting. Damage control is going to be near impossible on this issue by all looks of things.
30 posted on 10/16/2012 9:43:08 AM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned.)
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To: chris37
Shorter thread :

Just Who DID answer the 3:00AM Call?

31 posted on 10/16/2012 9:48:25 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: nanetteclaret

Thanks...very much.


32 posted on 10/16/2012 9:50:14 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: chris37; RummyChick; Marine_Uncle; TigersEye; Bon mots; nanetteclaret; GOPJ; thecodont; ...
just came across this thread ... posted Sun ....

What Happened In Benghazi( Shot across the Bow from State)

From Powerline blog.

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

Posted on Sun 14 Oct 2012 06:21:27 PDT by RummyChick

The State Department has released a transcript of a briefing that two high-ranking department officials gave to a number of reporters via conference call on October 9 (Tuesday). I am not certain about this, but I believe the transcript was only made public today. You should read it in its entirety; it is the most detailed description I have seen of the events in Benghazi on September 11.

33 posted on 10/16/2012 10:19:00 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
...has not come up in the media I have been watching....WJY NOT? Any ideas?

The Media will not report the truth!

Pat Caddell slams the media: They have become an “enemy of the people” (video 26:00)

Pat Caddell called it. Do you believe it yet?

34 posted on 10/16/2012 10:57:01 AM PDT by TigersEye (dishonorabledisclosure.com - OPSEC (give them support))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Hildabeast must be beyond herself at this point. The Libyan's screwed her big time. A special operation going terribly wrong.
Notice we hear nothing about the military and CIA's involvement in this. The lid so far has been keep closed as to who was doing what. We are getting a lot of peripheral little things.
This whole affair revolves around a joint operation by the CIA and the Military. A lot of things will never be brought out, due to the nature of the mess. The Senate and House hearings in closed sessions will be given perhaps a clear view as to what went down.
Books will be written in due time by some.
I don't expect to know the details on the operation that was taking place for some time. It will be years before the first book emerges from the dark room.
35 posted on 10/16/2012 10:57:25 AM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned.)
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To: Marine_Uncle; Ernest_at_the_Beach
I find it hard to believe that the Pres., VP, Sec. State, Pentagon and CIA would not be immediately notified of an ongoing attack on an embassy or consulate. I was thinking that before I heard Col. Hunt's statements. We more than have the technology for it. Even in the days when a sat-phone was the best tech available I would expect that.

It's an international incident of the highest order. Even the administration characterizes it as the worst attack of its kind in over 30 years. That's one thing I will agree with them on.

36 posted on 10/16/2012 11:07:45 AM PDT by TigersEye (dishonorabledisclosure.com - OPSEC (give them support))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Thanks, The Disaster is dead meat.


37 posted on 10/16/2012 11:15:39 AM PDT by arrogantsob (The Disaster MUST Go. Sarah herself supports Romney.)
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To: TigersEye
The CIA did not have to be informed. They where involved in the whole thing from day one.
Let no one forget, that the Ambassador was not at that annex on official State House duties.
He was involved via. State Department part in a CIA operation with of course the backing of certain US military ops in the African Command to take hold of all the missing manpads.

At best. We are seeing some fringe reporting on things peripheral to what was really going down.
38 posted on 10/16/2012 11:21:49 AM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned.)
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To: Marine_Uncle

The ambassador never made it to the “annex.” He died of smoke inhalation at the main consulate building FWIW. I don’t know what all his business was but he had a regular day of seeing foreign diplomats on Sept. 11th. The last one was a Turkish diplomat who left about 20-30 minutes before the shooting started.


39 posted on 10/16/2012 11:37:38 AM PDT by TigersEye (dishonorabledisclosure.com - OPSEC (give them support))
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To: GOPJ
Thx!
There's another version too...


40 posted on 10/16/2012 11:43:41 AM PDT by Bon mots (Abu Ghraib: 47 Times on the front page of the NY Times | Benghazi: 2 Times)
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