Tag: Benghazi

About the so-called “Whistleblower”

The truth comes about the Republicans paid parrot on Libya:

“He was removed from here because he was a disaster as a manager,” the second employee went on to say, expressing the belief that Hicks’ reassignment had “nothing to do with him being a whistleblower, it had everything to do with his management capacity or lack thereof.” This statement contradicts the narrative promoted on conservative media outlets that Hicks was being forced to remain silent and being punished for speaking out.

The same employees also told ThinkProgress of several troubling incidents involving Hicks and the staff at the Tripoli Embassy both before and after the September 11, 2012 assault in Benghazi. During the aftermath of Benghazi, Hicks showed a lack of diplomatic protocol that both staffers found extremely questionable given the tense times. This includes going to a meeting with the Libyan Prime Minister Mohammed Magarief in a t-shirt, cargo pants, and baseball cap. “I’m too upset to wear a suit,” Hicks allegedly told a staffer. “I want the Libyans to know how upset I am about this attack.”

In testifying before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, Hicks gave some of the most riveting testimony yet on what occurred in Tripoli the night of Sept. 11, 2012, when a diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya was attacked. That detailed account was prefaced by Hicks’ written testimony, which included claims that his superiors praised his performance during the night of the attack, which now rings slightly hollow given the critiques of his colleagues.

When speaking about the night of the attacks, the employees ThinkProgress spoke with described Hicks as being in a daze while other senior Embassy officials organized the evacuation from Tripoli to Germany. “At one point [Hicks] wandered past the huddled State evacuees, muttering to himself, and just sank into a couch,” the first employee relayed to ThinkProgress.

Prior to today, the State Department attempted to chart a middle path on Hicks, seeking to neither give credence to his claims of retribution nor portray him as lacking as a leader. Speaking in the daily press briefing yesterday, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters that Hicks’ reassignment was merely part of the Foreign Service Assignment System. “He’s now, per the standard procedure with all the other members of the Foreign Service, working through a preference list that he submitted, and he’s under consideration for positions in the next rotation,” Ventrell said. “So this is all part of the standard procedures.”

via Embassy Staff Undercuts ‘Whistleblower’ Testimony On Benghazi.

I am thinking that the Republicans might have just overreached on this who Libya thing just a little bit.

I also think that only “Whistles” being “blowed” are those of some very well know Republicans who are financing this whole partisan witch hunt. IYNWIMAITYD!

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UPDATED:On these benghazi hearings and scandal

I know I have written about this subject before and now, I believe my opinion is changing.

For the record, I believe that the terrorist attack in Libya was a tragic event. But, these hearings make me want to vomit.

…and here is why:

Look who is representing these “Whistleblowers”, Via the BooMan Tribune: (H/T Little Green Footballs)

Joseph diGenova and Victoria Toensing run a law firm together. They are also married. They are also soldiers in the dirty wars we have between the two major parties. When Scooter Libby was indicted, diGenova and Toensing demanded a pardon. In fact, they had been brawling on Libby’s side for years. Toensing even authored an amici curiae brief with the US Court of Appeals in Washington, seeking to overturn the ruling that forced Matthew Cooper and Judy Miller to testify in the Libby case.

Back in 1998, Howard Kurtz reported that diGenova and Toensing had made 300 television appearances in the month after news of the l’affaire Lewinsky broke on Drudge Report. That’s an average of five appearances each, every day for a month. Who appointed them to head the lynch mob?

Strangely, Geraldo Rivera played a part.

“I love him and I love his wife,” the talk host and fellow lawyer says. “They’re the most honorable people inside the Beltway. . . . He’s a strong, principled guy who doesn’t back down. If I played any part in making him a media star, I gloat with pleasure.”

More from Howard Kurtz, circa 1998:

Name a high-profile investigation in this city and chances are the prosecutorial pair is involved.

Charges that Republican Rep. Dan Burton improperly demanded campaign contributions from a lobbyist for Pakistan? DiGenova and Toensing are the Indiana congressman’s personal attorneys.

Newt Gingrich’s ethics problems? Toensing represents the speaker’s wife, Marianne, to ensure her compliance with House ethics rules.

A House committee investigation of the Teamsters and the union’s links to improper Democratic fund-raising? DiGenova and Toensing are leading the probe as outside counsel.

They are nothing more than partisan brawlers. And now they are representing so-called Benghazi whistleblowers who claim they have faced intimidation from their employers in the State Department. Mr. diGenova is representing Mark I. Thompson, who is a deputy coordinator for operations in the State Department’s counterterrorism bureau. Ms. Toensing is representing Gregory N. Hicks, who was serving as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya at the time of the Benghazi attacks. Both men will testify on Wednesday before Rep. Darrell Issa’s House Oversight & Government Reform Committee.

If they wanted to be taken seriously, they would have retained less notorious counsel.

Yeah, I know, I quoted the entire thing…sue me. 😛

Let me also be a fair person and point out that Charles Johnson over at Little Green Footballs has done one hell of a good job covering this whole partisan witch hunt since the beginning. I know, he most likely does not care for me at all; and most likely thinks I am in with the crazy right. But, I am not, at all. I do not agree entirely with his politics. But, I give him credit for being the guy to go after people who traffic in smearing those of whom they disagree with politically. While all the while, waving the flag of a protected minority and accusing those who dare to question as being Anti-Semitic. That, my friends, is the tragic state of the modern day Conservative movement. This is why I try to separate myself from the Neocon right.

Update: Some more thoughts that I wanted to add, but realized that this blog entry was getting long. Well, it is a long piece — deal with it. Here is my questions to the Neocon right about these whistle blowers:

  1. Where were these so-called “whistleblowers” when the United States of America was invading the Country of Iraq based upon blatantly false information about so-called “Weapons of Mass Destruction”? I mean, if there was any sort of false information being pimped to the media, and there was, trust me — these people would have known about it. 
  2. Where were these so-called  “Whistleblowers” when the United States of America was attacked on 9/11? I mean, if there was any sort of false information being pimped to the media, and there was, trust me — these people would have known about it. 

You want to know where these people where? I will tell you where they were; they were standing around with their noses straight up the goddamned ass of President George W. Bush and the neocon administration in the White House, that’s where!

This is why I have not been writing about this whole thing; because I knew the minute that the right began pimping this tragic event out for political purposes; that this political partisan witch hunt was starting. This is the same stuff that the Republican Party and it’s elected officials on the hill did in the 1990’s with the Clinton scandal and this is what they are doing now.  It is nothing more than that good ol’ partisan political theater — for the sole purpose of destroying their enemies.  It is sick, it is cynical, it is un-American and it should stop. What makes it much worse is that it is racist in nature — in more ways than one. The Nation’s first black President and you have old, White, Conservative, Christian Republicans going after him. But, yet, the Republicans are not the racists, the Democrats are — so they say. 🙄

It is, like all politics these days — nothing but a horrible joke. 😡

Update #2: Just as I suspected, this hearing is nothing more than a partisan witch hunt; this right here confirms it and yes, for once : I agree with Jay Carney.

Update #3: Seen this on facebook:

Under Bush:
Jan 22nd, 2002: US Consulate at Kolkata, 5 killed.
June 14, 2002: US Consulate at Karachi, 12 killed.
February 28, 2003 US Embassy at Islamabad: 2 killed.
June 30, 2004 US Embassy at Tashkent, 2 killed.
December 6, 2004 US Compound at Saudi Arabia, 9 killed.
March 2, 2006 US Consulate at Karachi (2nd time), 2 killed.
September 12, 2006: US Embassy at Syria, 4 killed.
March 18, 2008 US Embassy at Yemen, 2 Killed.
July 9, 2008 US Consulate at Istanbul, 6 killed.
September 17th, 2008 US Embassy at Yemen, 16 killed.
60 total
Outraged Republicans: Zero.

I can almost hear it now, “Yeah, but that was Bush and he actually loved this Country, unlike Obama.” 🙄

Update 4: Oh, By the way, Why am I saying all of this? Because like these two people in this video here; I happen to know there is really no difference between these two political parties anymore — That’s why!

Update 5: Cross-posted to My FiredogLake Update 6: Great, someone over at FDL marked my Diary as spam. Nice guys. I defend Obama and that’s the thanks I get? Nice. 🙄 Partisanship is such a drag. 🙁

Update 7: I think another point that people on the left are forgetting is this; the neoconservative hawks on the right were the ones that told Obama, “You have to something in Libya!” and you know what? He did. This idea was debated among the right, but the anti-hawks were overruled.  Boots were put on the ground to help the Libyan rebels. Then, we were actually foolish enough to open a United States embassy there.  All the while knowing that terrorists were operating in that Country. As a result, we lost an ambassador. So, as far as this writer is concerned,  the persons to blame for this horribly tragic event are the neoconservative hawks, like Bill Kristol, John Podhoretz and those whom agree with them.

 

Some tough questions for Sen. John McCain

In light of the grilling that Chuck Hagel received at the hands of the Jewish right,  Paul Abrams has some very tough questions for John McCain:

1. You are trying to establish accountability for Benghazi where four Americans tragically died. For clarification, nearly 12 years later, could you tell us whom you hold accountable for 9/11/2001 when 3,000 Americans died?

2. No WMD were found in Iraq. Whom do you hold accountable for taking us into war based upon cherry-picking the information, deliberately misleading the American people and you?

3. Did you read the entire National Intelligence Estimate prior to voting for the Iraq War? What did you make of the doubts and uncertainties expressed in that document?

4. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, you said that we would be greeted as liberators and that the war would last 18 months. In fact, it lasted 9 years, 4,400 Americans were killed, 32,000 were seriously injured, and it cost more than $1 Trillion. Do you hold yourself accountable for that bad judgment? If so, what consequences are there to you for being so wrong?

5. Do you believe that the U.S. should support Israel’s foreign policy no matter what? If not, can you tell us what Israel has ever done with which you disagree?

These are questions that Independent thinking Americans, like myself, really want to know the answers to. Because the way I see if, the Republicans are going to bitch and gripe about Libya, then we should open it up to 9/11 as well. Who failed us? and why have they not been brought to justice too?

I admit it, in the beginning, I have some serious issues with what happened in Libya. I still think it could have been handled better than it was handled. But, the Republicans got the information that they wanted and yet, they still keep pressing for stuff that is just not there. You know why they keep pressing? Well, for one, partisanship and for two, they are resentful of a black President. It is just that simple. It is called racial resentment.

It is same thing that Obama did, when he let those 4 white guys die in Libya. He let them die, because they were white. Instead of the Republicans being better than Obama, they are playing the same game in reverse. It is sick and sad thing, and it sucks that the taxpayers money is paying for such monkeyshine nonsense!

Just my opinion.

Benghazi: What really happened

This is very interesting: (H/T InstaPundit)

David Petraeus was betrayed by his own bodyguards and vengeful high-ranking enemies in the CIA, who made sure his affair with his biographer was exposed to the public, a new book claims.

MailOnline can reveal a new angle on the story that rocked Washington last fall. It comes from two retired special operations commandos – a Navy SEAL and a Green Beret – who say they discovered a plot against the former CIA director while doing research about the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Senior CIA officers targeted Petraeus because they didn’t like the way he was running the agency – focusing more on paramilitary operations than intelligence analysis. They used their political clout and their connections to force an FBI investigation of his affair with Paul Broadwell and make it public, according to ‘Benghazi: The Definitive Report.’

‘It was high-level career officers on the CIA who got the ball rolling on the investigation. It was basically a palace coupe to get Petraeus out of there,’ Jack Murphy, one of the authors, told MailOnline. — Via U.K. DailyMail

Needless to say, this is going to be an explosive book and could bring down people in the Obama Administration.

Get the Book:

Seal’s Dad: “Better to die the death of a hero than it is to live the life of a coward”

I don’t know about y’all. But there’s a particular Eeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww factor about seeing Geraldo kiss another guy…. Sick

The Story via Daily Caller:

In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Geraldo at Large” Sunday night, Charles Woods, father of slain Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, said President Barack Obama did not do all he could to save the four Americans who were killed in a terrorist raid on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Obama should have reacted sooner, he said, because the consulate was American soil.

“I was contacted by military personnel yesterday, who told me an interesting fact. And that is any consulate anywhere in the world is American soil,” Woods said. “Any attack on an American consulate is an attack on American soil. There were American citizens that were attacked for seven hours on American soil a couple thousand miles away from Washington, D.C.”

[…]

“First of all, I am not angry at all,” Woods said. “In fact, Mr. President, if I had the opportunity of speaking to you face to face, and I would really love to, I would say this: ‘Mr. President, I respect your office. However, if you are responsible for the death of my son, I totally forgive you.’”

“This is about honor, courage and about love for America. And remember this, Mr. President:  My son and the others died heroes and it’s better to die the death of a hero than it is to live the life of a coward. If you are responsible for the death of my son, I forgive you, I love you. I also love America.

Great way of putting it, gross way of handling it!

Others: National Review, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys and The Right Scoop

Fox News: CIA Operators requested help in Libya, were denied

This looks bad, no matter how you slice it.

Via Fox News:

Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that an urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. consulate and subsequent attack several hours later on the annex itself was denied by the CIA chain of command — who also told the CIA operators twice to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador’s team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."

Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours — enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators. 

There is a whole bunch more to this; so, I suggest you head on over and read the rest of that story.

Allow me to to be the one to say this; I said this early on twitter and I did not get any sort of reaction. So, I will just say it here. On top of the already obvious choice by the President to not allow these people to defend themselves, because of his fear angering Muslims and because he most likely empathizes with the radical Muslims and their cause — there is another huge elephant in the room as well. I publically accuse the President of the United States of America of allowing these four men, who worked at the American embassy in Libya —– to die — because they were white.

I am sorry, if this offends anyone, but the truth is the God-damned truth.

The President of the United States of America allowed these four men to die and would not allow them to defend themselves; because he is black and he harbors anti-white feelings. His attitude was basically this; those white guys are expendable. If those four men in Libya, had been black; President Obama would have been literally screaming from the rooftop of the White House for justice! However, because this is a situation with four White guys, the President could honestly care less. period, end of story. 

If that was not bad enough, you have the Vice-President of the United States and the secretary of State acting like classless damned buffoons as well. Needless to say, November’s election cannot come fast enough and I believe this is going to cost the President dearly, in the form of the election. You simply do not allow people to die on your watch, and then expect to be reelected, it just does not happen.

If there ever was a reason for Mitt Romney to win this election; this is one of them. We need a new direction in this Country and we need it now. God, let Mitt win this one; so can get some self-respect back in this Country of ours and have a leader that makes decisions based upon an ability to lead and not…. race.

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