The 2012 Presidential election is less than a week away, and despite a Herculean effort of damage control, the Obama Administration’s version of the attack on the Benghazi Consulate continues to unravel. The latest salvo was not fired by angry Republicans, but originated from an Arab language TV station in the Middle East.
Alaan TV, a popular television network in the United Arab Emirates , recently recovered official US Consulate communications in the wreckage of the burnt out buildings in Benghazi. The documents illustrate an ongoing pattern of security violations and lack of sufficient protection for consulate personnel. One letter, written 15 hours before the attack, complains about hostile individuals who were conducting surveillance of the Benghazi compound.
Some of the letters presented in the broadcast were directed to the Benghazi Police Chief. The consulate was extremely concerned about the lack of dependable police protection and the disturbing actions of a Libyan police officer who was seen taking photographs of the compound.
These complaints are also mirrored in cables sent to Washington by the consulate security chief, who was upset over the lack of American personnel. The statements reflect an absence of trust in the Libyan guards, many of whom were suspected of having direct links to extremist groups. Making matters even worse, the Libyan guards were only given a nightstick and a flashlight to use in case of an attack. This may explain why it was reported the guards all fled at the first sound of gunfire.
Here Is the text of the television broadcast:
( Translation to English provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute.)
“On November 1, 2012, Alaan TV, a UAE channel, stated in a report on the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that letters found inside the consulate, written by the U.S. Consular staff and addressed to the Libyan Foreign Ministry and the Benghazi police chief, revealed security breaches at the consulate. According to the letters, not only had a Libyan policeman photographed the compound 15 hours prior to the attack, but the Libyan government had not provided the security at the consulate requested by the consular staff prior to Ambassador Chris Stevens’ arrival in Benghazi. According to the report, the letter stated, “We are saddened to report that we have only received an occasional police presence at our main gate. Many hours pass when we have no police support at all.””
Reporter : “These documents were found by Alaan TV in the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, in the Tactical Operations Center building. The most important of these documents are letters written by the U.S. consulate staff on September 11 [2012], the day of the attack.”
One of the letters was addressed to the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the MFA, as it is referred to in the documents. The other letter, which was almost identical in content, was addressed to the Benghazi police chief.”
“In the letters, the Americans complained about an incident that occurred on the morning of September 11, an incident they described as ‘troubling.’ The letters read as follows: ‘Early this morning, on September 11, 2011 [sic], at precisely 06:43, one of our diligent guards made a troubling report. Near our main gate, a member of the police force was seen in the upper level of a building across from our compound. It is reported that this person, who belongs to the police unit sent to protect the U.S. Special Mission, was photographing the inside of the U.S. consulate.’”
“One of these letters contains important information about the police car that was present at the scene: ‘The police car stationed where this event occurred was number 322.’”
“As is well known, there is no professional police force in Libya, and therefore, the police and armed groups often work together. Thus, it seems clear, from the tone of the letter, that the Americans were extremely concerned about this incident, describing it as ‘troubling.’”
“According to the letter, they were hoping that the Libyan authorities would conduct an official investigation into this incident.”
“The letters revealed that since September 9, the Americans had been requesting special security arrangements, in preparation for the arrival of Ambassador Chris Stephens to Benghazi. These arrangements included the police guarding the front and rear gates of the consulate around the clock, in addition to a mobile patrol and a bomb-sniffing dog.
“The Americans, however, were not granted these requests, as was made clear from the letter, dated September 11, just hours before the attack. ‘We are saddened to report that we have only received an occasional police presence at our main gate. Many hours pass when we have no police support at all.’”
Today’s cache of correspondence is the latest in a continuing series of documents that dispute the misleading claims of President Obama, Vice President Biden, Press Secretary Jay Carney, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Much has been made of the fact that for almost two weeks after the tragedy in Libya, various high ranking members of the Obama Administration attempted to place the blame for the attack on a spontaneous reaction to an obscure YouTube Video that was insulting to Muslims.
It was only after official State Department cables began to surface in the press that the President and his associates were forced to backtrack from their original story and admit the four Americans were killed in an organized, pre-planned terror attack by al-Qaeda affiliates.
A clear picture has emerged of a troubled, frightened American Ambassador who tried every way possible to communicate the danger to the Obama State Department. Prior to the attack that took his life, Christopher Stevens made repeated phone calls to Washington and the American Embassy in Tripoli, wrote letter after letter and sent a flood of cables pleading for more security. He consistently and emphatically voiced his concern that the consulate did not have sufficient American security personnel to protect the diplomats and the support staff. He frequently reported that Benghazi was in chaos, terrorists were massing in the city and the fledgling Libyan government was not capable of controlling the rapid influx of thugs and heavily armed Islamist extremists.
In the weeks before the attack, a bomb was thrown into the US consulate grounds; blasting a 12 foot hole in the perimeter wall. The British Ambassador was attacked, and as a result, the British Consulate in Benghazi was closed. The Red Cross in Benghazi was attacked and that facility was also closed. The under manned, badly protected US consulate was the only foreign presence left in the city, making it an attractive target as the last symbol of Western power and influence.
Ambassador Stevens begged Washington for help. The beleaguered consulate security chief begged Washington for help. Nothing was done and four loyal heroes died. Many Americans are utterly amazed by the President’s statement that he had no idea there was a serious problem at the Benghazi Consulate. Obama claims he was never told Ambassador Stevens was living in fear of assassination.
As the cables pour in, and we learn there were drones in the sky over Benghazi while the attack was in progress, people are beginning to have serious doubts about the White House story. The disaster in Libya is too important to simply be swept aside until after the election. The entire affair is tainted by high ranking government officials playing fast and loose with the facts. It has an odor of utter incompetence that hasn’t been seen in Washington since the glory days of Jimmy Carter, who redefined the word ‘indecisive’ while Americans were led blindfolded from our Embassy in Tehran and held hostage for 444 days.
Just in case you may have forgotten exactly what the Obama position was on the attack that killed Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Dohrety and Tyrone Woods in Benghazi, Libya, here is the statement of the President’s hand picked UN Ambassador, Susan Rice, speaking on September 16, 2012, four full days after the attack:
“We are obviously investigating this very closely. The FBI has a lead in this investigation. The information, the best information and the best assessment we have today is that in fact this was not a preplanned, premeditated attack. That what happened initially was that it was a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo as a consequence of the video. People gathered outside the embassy and then it grew very violent and those with extremist ties joined the fray and came with heavy weapons, which unfortunately are quite common in post-revolutionary Libya and that then spun out of control.”
Before the events of September 11, 2012, the economy was the main issue in the Presidential election. Now we have another issue that is of paramount importance. Before you cast your vote next Tuesday, take a moment to quietly reflect, consider all the facts and ask yourself, in your heart of hearts, if you believe President Obama was truthful with the American people about the events in Libya. You will have to decide the answer and vote according to your conscience.