“What Did the President Know, and When Did He Know It?”
Regarding the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, thanks to Reuters and CBS we now know.
The President knew – or should have known – that it wasn’t mob violence inspired by a film roughly 2 hours and 32 minutes after the attack had begun. That’s when the Executive Office of the President was notified that an Islamic fundamentalist group had claimed responsibility.
And he also knew – or should have known – about 30 minutes after the beginning of the attack that US personnel were under fire and might need help. It was another 6 1/2 hours before the two US personnel killed defending the “safe house” in Benghazi were killed.
Officials in the Executive Office of the President were advised at 4:05PM EDT on 11 September 2012 that the US mission in Benghazi was under attack. That was 20-30 minutes after the attack had begun. And the EOP was advised 2 hours and 2 minutes later – at 6:07PM – that Ansar al-Sharia had claimed responsibility.
One of the addresses at the EOP to which these alerts were sent was reportedly the one for the White House Situation Room.
By the next morning, per Reuters there were also indications that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was involved as well. And the next morning, the CIA station chief in Libya reported that the attacks appeared to have been deliberate and carried out by Islamic militants vice a spontaneous mob action.
CBS News had made copies of redacted e-mails documenting the initial reports referenced above. They can be viewed here.
“What did the President know, and when did he know it?” Regarding the Benghazi attack, he knew – or should have known – everything of significance by the next morning. Yet for over a week his Administration flat-out lied to the American public about what had happened and why.
My leg’s wet. And it isn’t raining today.
Category: Foreign Policy, Military issues, Politics
Hondo; it is well known, and has been reported, that Obama rarely attended his National Security briefings, which occur every morning. We have been told by leftist pundits that because he’s so damn smart, he is already aware of the situations around the globe. Funny, though, that when asked, his position is that the intelligence community didn’t give him accurate info. How would he know that, since he never attended his morning briefing?
This whole damn mess was an attempted cover-up from jump street. The administration thought they could run it by us as simply a spontaneous demonstration against a movie and we would be happy with that explanation. Not this time. Not when 4 fine Americans are dead. Americans that had families that want answers. The Liar-in-Chief got caught with his fly open and the changing stories shows that none of them were prepared to have to explain themselves.
The president did not know about the attack. He was in Vegas shooting craps with his buddies.
Anonymous: that buys him an additional 5 minutes grace at best. The POTUS is securely contactable 24/7/365. If he’s not, someone failed to to their job bigtime.
This is all because the battery in his Blackberry wasn’t recharged.
If the President can be informed of an attack while reading stories to children in Florida minutes after it occured, I don’t see a reason why our current one could not be informed while at a fundraiser in Vegas.
@5: That’s the beauty of it; Obama hadn’t left for Vegas, yet, and had even made that speech in the Rose Garden before leaving for Vegas. He knew the truth then.
[…] numerous times, but, it seems they weren’t as negligent as they’ve been deemed. And, as This ain’t Hell…. posits “what did the president know and when did he know it?” (Reuters) Officials at […]
[…] numerous times, but, it seems they weren’t as negligent as they’ve been deemed. And, as This ain’t Hell…. posits “what did the president know and when did he know it?” (Reuters) Officials at […]
[…] numerous times, but, it seems they weren’t as negligent as they’ve been deemed. And, as This ain’t Hell…. posits “what did the president know and when did he know it?” (Reuters) Officials at […]
So, he gets the “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire” award, right?
Did you guys catch the news item that the guy who made the video of the attack has been arrested?
Wonder if an Italian judge might be available for charges against this bunch of incompetant clowns?
What everyone seems to be forgetting is that most folks along the chain did exactly what they were supposed to do. They notified everyone they were supposed to notify, they fortified everything they could, they followed proper procedures, and those folks who were supposed to stand by for armed response were waiting for a “GO” order.
The willful disregard for the protection of US assets begins and ends at the top of the chain. Either he dismissed the information he received or he had created an atmosphere that those who would/should inform him knew in advance that he did not want to know. Doesn’t matter much which – the responsibility lands squarely at his feet.
Interesting article on why the POTUS and his team were seemingly so invested in a video (dude is still jailed, by the way. We taxpayers are going to pay a shitload when the dude files a lawsuit):
http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/22/the-real-reason-behind-benghazigate/#.UIdhzDA7ZuQ.twitter
Looks like Obama was giving our enemies weapons, including SA-7s. Which, used in Afghanistan, will prevent our troops from leaving the country.
I’m not generally a fan of Congressional inquires that can be construed as thinly veiled partisan attacks, I believe the Libya fiasco virtually screams for one.
Not just to ensure Obama doesn’t wiggle out of appropriate blame, but to also repair what is obviously systemic C2 dysfunction in DoS.
Two weeks to go. Sigh.
Here’s a doomsday scenario. Congress specially convenes, obama is impeached, the Senate trial occurs, and obama resigns–all before January. Or, obama is re-elected, the Senate becomes and the House remains Republican and obama resigns. Doomsday? Can you say the words “President Joe Biden?” I may have to put myself back in the blog gulag just for thinking that!
Ouch! AirCav, you are so psychic!
And I was holding my prediction for election night.
Either way, the occupier has accomplished his mission.
Biden’s first press conference:
Biden: “My fellow Americans. I come to you today with a heavy heart.”
One journalist to another: “Google that line. I know I read that somewhere before.”
OWB, so you think that what’s done cannot be undone?
Remember Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre? It happened this month–October–1973. Will obama start firing people too? Will he ask for Rice’s resignation? Clinton’s? How about our boy, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs? This is going to be a helluva finish to the week!
Will anyone stick around to find out?
@ #19: Oh, sure. It can be undone. Not that it would be easy, but it can be done.
@21. Once bitten, twice shy. Yes, I made it out from the gulag and lived to tell about it. I will NOT go back. I urge caution in any future Junk email threads from Mr. BIG or his team. They are very clever. Even Sparky landed there. I haven’t heard from him since.
You know at least Kennedy had the decency to apologize and take the blame for the Bay of Pigs. That’s the only nice thing I can say about that.
@24 – Fidel is still there.
Touche. Ex-PH2
#25 Ex-PH2
He said NICE thing. Uncle Fidel is not nice.
BWoodman, Uncle Fidel is no longer healthy and has turned over his government to Raul, who is encouraging new building construction and tourism. Uncle Fidel no longer makes 3.5 hours speeches. Uncle Fidel is on his last legs. El va morir. Some day, we will hear ‘Fidel muerto’.
@DaveO — that article is extremely disturbing, especially this part of the last paragraph: ‘it seems President Obama has been engaged in gun-walking on a massive scale’.