Fox News this morning is confirming an earlier report from Eli Lake that US officials knew within 24 hours of the September 11th attack on the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya that led to the death of ambassador Chris Steven was terrorism:
U.S. intelligence officials knew within 24 hours of the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that it was a terrorist attack and suspected Al Qaeda-tied elements were involved, sources told Fox News — though it took the administration a week to acknowledge it.
The account conflicts with claims on the Sunday after the attack by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice that the administration believed the strike was a “spontaneous” event triggered by protests in Egypt over an anti-Islam film.
Two senior U.S. officials said the Obama administration internally labeled the attack terrorism from the first day in order to unlock and mobilize certain resources to respond, and that officials were looking for one specific suspect.
So why then did the White House send UN Ambassador Susan Rice to five different Sunday talk shows to claim that the attack on the consulate and assassination Ambassador Stevens sprang from a “spontaneous” demonstration four days later when they apparently knew the truth?
That’s a question that needs to be answered, their initial excuse about conflicting reports simply doesn’t hold water… Sen Jim DeMint began calling for a complete investigation into the White House’s “misleading” statements even before Fox News was able to confirm Eli Lake’s report through their own sources:
Officials claimed the attacks were “spontaneous” and a result of a protest that had “spun out of control.” Ambassador Rice denied it was premeditated, stating that the protest was “hijacked by some individual clusters of extremists…and then it evolved from there.”
Then, finally, the National Counterterrosim Center Director Matthew Olsen stated in a Senate hearing the four Americans were killed “in the course of a terror attack” that may have connections to al Qaeda, but that we do not have specific intelligence of “significant advance planning”.
Again, this is a different narrative described by Libyan President Megariaf, who said the attack was carried out by foreign militants who had infiltrated Libya and had been planning these events for months. The contradictory and changing stories stemming from the same events are worrisome.
It’s far past time to get all the facts. We need a comprehensive detailed report rather than waiting for various officials to dribble them out one interview at a time.
Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and I have introduced legislation to require the Obama Administration to conduct an official investigation and issue a report on the September 11-13, 2012 attacks on United States missions in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen within 30 days. It also requires the Secretary of State to submit recommended changes to security procedures.
This is not, nor should it be a partisan issue, this administration owes Congress and the American people complete and honest explanation not only about what happened in Libya but they continue to try to spin events despite all evidence that this was a premeditated attacked. We know from Ambassador Stevens own diary he was concerned about the lax security at the Benghazi Consulate and that he believed he was a on terrorist hit list.
Related
- Video Proof: Obama Knew Libya Was Terror Attack Within 24 Hours – John Nolte, Breitbart.com