re: Wheels on the bus go round and round: Benghazi

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4, The Huffington Post has directly stated that Kirkpatrick was in fact the interviewer.



Where did they say this? [/quote]


"When Abu Khattala met with Times reporter David Kirkpatrick, he didn’t seem concerned about being out in public. "

Huffington Post
Michael Calderone
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I don't think it's obvious that Suliman Ali Zway did not sit in for the interview.

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"Suliman Ali Zway contributed reporting from Tripoli, Libya" The interview was in Benghazi.

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But they also suggest the militants may have used the film controversy as a cover for the attack.

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Can you point to reporting that says something else?

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Yes, this - "Mr. Abu Khattala, 41, wearing a red fez and sandals, added his own spin. Contradicting the accounts of many witnesses and the most recent account of the Obama administration, he contended that the attack had grown out of a peaceful protest against a video made in the United States that mocked the Prophet Muhammad and Islam.

That right from Kirkpatrick's interview.

Since it is an established fact that there was no peaceful protest in the first place (thus discrediting Khattala and, in turn, Kirkpatrick, who believed him), it cannot follow suit that the attacks grew out of a non-existent protest.

The video crap originated out of the on-site interviews and statements that were made after the last Americans left the SMC and the curiosity seekers and looters moved in. They were not part of the attacking group and latched onto the video excuse to rationalize what had taken place . The militants didn't need any "cover" for the attacks, they took pride in them. The "cover" came from the crowd who hung out at the then-safe SMC and gave interviews to each other and the press all night. They were non-players.

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I never understood why the 'terrosrist attack' and the 'film demonstration' angles had to be mutually exclusive.

Couldn't it be a planned attack in response to the film?

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Not enough time. News of the film was pretty much limited to Egypt until mid-day Sept. 11th. The major news out of Cairo preceded the Benghazi attack start time by about 5 hours.

Keep in mind also that nowhere else in the Middle East was there any kind of demonstration, planned or spontaneous, on Sept. 11th. The odds of it happening in an "off-site", and AFTER DARK, such as Benghazi would be even more unlikely.

The most likely scenario is that the attack was planned about 24 hours in advance in reaction to a September 10th call to to avenge the death of Abu Yahya al-libi on the anniversary of 9/11.

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"When Abu Khattala met with Times reporter David Kirkpatrick

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That might be Calderone's own characterization but I don't think you can conclude that from the NYT article itself.

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"Suliman Ali Zway contributed reporting from Tripoli, Libya" The interview was in Benghazi.

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Could he not interview in Benghazi then file in Tripoli? Anyway, don't know much this really matters. It looks like Abukhattala was having a "media availability" that day and multiple news agencies met with him. If Zway did not do the interview himself then he could have had someone do it for him

From Reuters:

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Abu Khattala denied sanctioning or leading the attack, but said he understood the anger which fuelled it.

A crudely made movie that mocks the Prophet Mohammad, filmed in California and circulated on the Internet, has helped generate violent protests across the Islamic world.

U.S. officials have said they believe militants used the protests as cover to carry out an armed assault on the U.S. diplomatic compound and a building that was supposed to be a safe house.

"The film which insulted the Prophet was a direct attack on our values and if America wants good relations with the Muslim world it needs to do so with respect," Abu Khattala said. "If they want to do it with force, they will be met with force."

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LINK

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That right from Kirkpatrick's interview.

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I was hoping you could provide reporting from reputable news orgs that have a presence on the ground that paints a different picture. Maybe statements from eyewitnesses or statements from attackers or the others who followed.

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Since it is an established fact that there was no peaceful protest in the first place

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And guess who was one of the first, if not the first, to break that story?

No protest before Benghazi attack, wounded Libyan guard says

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BY NANCY A. YOUSSEF AND SULIMAN ALI ZWAY
McClatchy NewspapersSeptember 13, 2012

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The video crap originated out of the on-site interviews and statements that were made after the last Americans left the SMC and the curiosity seekers and looters moved in.

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Regardless of when the statements were made, all that I've seen point to the video as a factor. Haven't really seen anything that points to another sufficiently catalyzing factor.

If you have something else, please point the way.

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If you have something else, please point the way.

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Can you please provide a link to quotes from the 5 Consulate survivors regarding the attack?

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Can you please provide a link to quotes from the 5 Consulate survivors regarding the attack?

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Silly game.

If you'd like to provide citation to other reporting that features interviews with people on the ground I'm always up for considering new material.

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Where is their account of events?

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Their testimony could clear everything up immediately. Fact.

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Where is their account of events?

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From what I understand everyone on the ground was interviewed by the ARB. Their account is reflected in the public summary. I suggest you obtain the appropriate security clearance if you'd like to review the classified particulars. I'm sure more info was given in closed sessions of Congress. There are reasons why their testimony may not be appropriate in open session, such as giving out info that could compromise the criminal investigations.

Again, it's really silly for you to ask a question you know I'm not in a position to answer. Silly game.

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but we cannot assess ANY testimony of the Consulate survivors, even insofar as to their impression as to whether the attack was a protest, or when they were first debriefed, and by whom, and who was party to the information?

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I'd say the appropriate bodies have assessed it. The ARB concluded there was not a protest prior. This is settled. Don't know why you bring this up. We know the survivors were initially debriefed by our Ambassador to Germany after they arrived at Ramstein then a few days later they were interviewed by the FBI.

We know all of this.

Let's review shall we?

Feb 14, 2014 The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations released a comprehensive report today evaluating the response of the Department of Defense (DOD) to the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.

February 7, 2014 House Foreign Affairs Committee majority staff issued a report detailing the lack of accountability within the State Department following the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks at the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya

Sept 16, 2013House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Interim Report

April 23, 2013House Committees’ Interim Report on Benghazi Investigation

December 20, 2012 Accountability and Review Board part II

November 15, 2012 House Committee on Foreign Affairs part I

Accountability and Review Board Report

Senate Intel Report on Benghazi
Transcript #1

The House Armed Services Committee today released a series of recently declassified transcripts of briefings on the September 11th 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.
LINK
1_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD's preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part I, Session I, DOD), May 21, 2013.pdf (3.7 MBs)

Transcript #2

2_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD's preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part I, Session II DOD), May 21, 2013.pdf (642.4 KBs)

Transcript #3

3_Briefing transcript (redacted) DOD's preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi (Part II AFRICOM) June 26 2013.pdf (9.4 MBs)

Transcript #4

4_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD's preparation for the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” (Part III, Colonel Bristol), July 31, 2013.pdf (10.8 MBs)

Transcript #5

5_Hearing transcript, “DOD’s posture for September 11, 2013,” (Part IV, Force Posture), September 19, 2013.pdf (691.9 KBs)

Transcript #6

6_Briefing transcript (redacted), “DOD’s force posture in anticipation of September 11, 2012,” (Part V, General Dempsey), October 10, 2013.pdf (2.3 MBs)

We didn't investigate 9/11 like we've investigated Benghazi. If after all this, Republicans still have questions... the party should be renamed the Hodor Party.