-Mike Morell, Deputy CIA Director
So today we find out from Mike Morell, the Deputy CIA Director at the time of the Benghazi attacks, that he crafted the talking points which were ultimately used by Susan Rice on talk shows based on what a few CIA analysts believed had happened instead of the on the ground accounts from the CIA Station Chief.
The idiocy is mind-boggling. So mind-boggling you have to wonder if he isn’t just covering his ass along with the ass of the administration.
As part of Morell’s testimony on Wednesday, the former acting and deputy CIA director acknowledged that he overruled the guidance of the top CIA officer in Libya at the time. That official told Morell the attack was not an “escalation of protests,” but Morell said he had to weigh that against analysts who concluded the opposite. He ultimately went with the analysts — whose assessment later turned out to be flawed — saying the chief of station’s report was not “compelling” and was based on loose evidence.
The account has many close to this investigation fuming. One operator watching the hearing told Fox News: “He doesn’t have any idea what happened that night. Why is he speculating? He wouldn’t have to speculate if he talked to the people in Libya that night, or others who were watching.”
Another said Morell either still has no idea what happened that night, or he is covering for someone. “Human intelligence takes precedence over everything else and he had no better intelligence than multiple reports from credible sources coming from the ground that night,” one operator said.
…Fox News has previously reported that intelligence on the ground within the first 20 minutes was consistent that a terror attack was underway. Yet in Wednesday’s testimony, Morell said analysts didn’t know for sure and the only way he knew Al Qaeda was involved was through classified sources — and that’s why it was taken out of the talking points. But later in the testimony, Morell said he did not take out Al Qaeda from talking points, and that a group of “officers” from another CIA department did.
But one intelligence expert with close knowledge of the attack questioned those claims. “To pretend he was deferring to analytical judgment is not true,” the source said. “He changed analytical judgment. … Heck, that’s in the Senate Intelligence Report.”
[youtube]http://youtu.be/AnOnfHRwi5k[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtu.be/qywFdtyU0gE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtu.be/gp59xo_UL_s[/youtube]
The bottom line?
The U.S. intelligence community knew right away that al-Qaeda was involved in the attack but they lied to the American people about it.
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Morrell is a goddam liar.
Well, you can’t get reelected when the people whose asses you claimed to have kicked kicks YOUR ass. So, what else can you do but lie? Especially when lying is your first response to ANY conflict?
Imagine the recruiting tool this has been for al Qaeda and terrorism in general. Nice job, Hillary and Obama.
Very, very few brain cells are discernable at the top of this foodchain. Obie isn’t a leader and neither is Jarrett.
They are self-serving and neither could care much less about an envoy in Libya, or anyone else out there for that matter.
@DrJohn: #1,
I had a chance to watch his responses — absolutely, he was lying. No question. He also skated and was told by Jarrett to make his statements with as much emphatic energy as possible — which might make his lies more believable. IMHO, it did not work.
Obama lies and people die. Now we have four more dead at Fort Hood. And at least 14 wounded.
Our military can’t carry weapons on a military base to defend themselves, but hey, DADT has been repealed, right? Obama does have his priorities.
Fox News seems to be picking up the pace on propaganda. I realize Media Matters make your heads explode but they do point out some interesting facts.
I watched some of the hearing, live, on Fox. Out of curiosity I flipped over to CNN to see how they were, or weren’t covering it…they were interviewing “experts” about the disappeared Malaysian airliner!
This is just NOT going to be a story in the MSM. Nor are they going to cover the IRS scandal. Too close to what Nixon tried to do. That would take the media into Watergate territory…not going there with their guy in the White House. That’s the media world today.
@Ronald J. Ward: With all of the “truth” about the IRS, the “Fast and Furious” and the “You can keep your policy and your doctor” comments, why would any sane person believe a Democrat would do anything except cover up for another Democrat? ( I skipped all the defense of the current crooks from CA and NC.) Maybe FOX News was covering news and not propaganda!
It was all about ensuring that obama would be re elected. Would the people have re elected him if it was known that he did NOTHING to save Americans? doubtful
@Ronald J. Ward: While I prefer equal coverage, propaganda or not, there is NO DOUBT that a cover up was engaged and preferred over relaying the facts and truth to the American people. I have said multiple times, if the administration wants to shut up the detractors and eliminate the harmful speculation, then come forth with all its information and show that the events transpired exactly as they said they did.
The video excuse was the most lame, transparent, illogical and easily disproved excuse anyone could have come up with. “The dog ate my homework” is more solid. Perhaps many are pissed off at how stupid this administration thinks EVERYONE (not just their constituency) is in trying to foist that excuse over on them, then rapidly changing from one excuse to another, then ultimately trying the same first lame excuse AGAIN!
Fox should know the facts are quite damning enough, though listening to Democrat ramble on about “political witch hunts” and “phony scandals” is a waste of air time.
@Ronald J. Ward: Your point??
@Common Sense:
RJW has no point except to try to point a finger at what he considers a conservative news outlet. Never mind that three American soldiers are dead, in another Fort Hood shooting, because of the actions of a Democrat president.
Ron,
Have you watched CSPAN coverage of Benghazi hearings?
If you had you’d know that Republicans ask questions.
Democrats make speeches.
Unless that changed during the last hearing…..check the transcript….I completely understand taking a break from political speech making.
I hope to hear the truth about Benghazi in my lifetime. Maybe after BHO is gone from office. There is hope.
@Ronald J. Ward:
Can we see the actual footage that Media Matters is hyperventilating over?
@Kraken
Well, aside from who precisely “we” are, that’s a rather difficult question to answer. I can only answer to “you” and I’m not really sure of your capabilities in comprehension, ability of using an online search engine (which in all fairness, your comment does raise that question), or even if a satisfactory answer would even return a rational response.
Your question; “Can we see the actual footage that Media Matters is hyperventilating over”, reminds me of several years ago when I was promoting a high school robotics career program at an incoming 8th grade class. After my presentation I took questions and this rather obnoxious clown-of-the-class type raises his hand and ask “can I go to the bathroom?”. I looked at him (and I suppose he was in that situation could be considered the same as today’s blogging “trolls”) and simply stated, “I don’t know, can you?”.
@Kraken: Unless you admit that Mr. Obama told America that if you like your health insurance and/or doctor you can keep them period, it would make no difference what was shown to you!!
Try to imagine the feelings of the families of those who lost their lives when they find things like this out. Unfortunately, stuff like this has been going on in our government for many presidencies.
More unnamed “operators” used as sources. Why haven’t any of them agreed to appear before Issa? Are they terrified operators? dishonorable? More afraid of losing their paychecks then openly testifying ? Please tell me why they will not come forward as a protected whistle blower. We have not seen anything from the unnamed sources of Fox. As far as Morrell is concerned he served in the CIA since 1980. A liar well of course that is what spies do, they lie all the time. Should the CIA have been willing to tell the murders that they knew who they were immediately ? Apparently they did not want to alert them . Two weeks after the head of that militia was killed. Should the CIA have warned him in advance that they knew he was responsible? I don’t think so.
Blame the CIA ?? Who was blaming them for telling the American people that Saddam had workable WMD ?
Al Qaeda blossomed from the billions that we gave to the radical muslims to fight the Russians in Afghanistan which was done mainly on St Reagan’s watch. Al Qaeda was fertilized again when we invaded Iraq and has been blossoming ever since. Think Saddam would have tolerated radical Islam while he was alive?
What was a bigger lie WMD ? or that we knew who was responsible for the murder of those 4 Americans (but did not choose to tell the world that fact)
@Ronald J. Ward: “Your question; “Can we see the actual footage that Media Matters is hyperventilating over”, reminds me of several years ago when I was promoting a high school robotics career program at an incoming 8th grade class.” Pity it didn’t remind you of an actual answer to the question.
@john: “More unnamed “operators” used as sources. Why haven’t any of them agreed to appear before Issa?” Perhaps they have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements but cannot bear to remain silent any longer and allow those deaths to continue to go unanswered for?
@john: “Al Qaeda blossomed from the billions that we gave to the radical muslims to fight the Russians in Afghanistan” No, that was the Taliban. You are confusing that with Obama supplying al Qaeda in Libya and trying to in Syria. al Qaeda had already blossomed (and was in fact already in Iraq) before the invasion. What actually happened after that was that they were drawn into a fight with the very people we want them to be in a fight with… our military. We wiped them out. Obama’s announcement of how anxious we were to run away and exactly when we would do it fueled a resurgence. I’m sure al Qaeda appreciated our assistance.
Since “WMD” was not a lie at all, the bigger lie (though certainly not their biggest) would still be hiding the failure of this administration to keep our consulate and personnel safe from the American people for the sake of reelecting the most unqualified person in the history of the United States to be President.
@john:
Shove your “WMD lie” garbage. The WMD were there. We found them. I was part of the team that found the miles and miles of barbed-wire protected ammo bunkers filled with organophosphate “pesticides” – known for being the rapidly alterable base compound to make nerve agent with the soviet-designed dual use technology. You leftist scumbags can keep shouting your damned lies over and over, as that is your nature, but the truth is already known.
Obama and his administration are nothing but damned liars. Benghazi, Fast-and-Furious, IRS targeting of conservatives, obamacare, the economy, – nothing a leftist says is ever based on truth or reality.
Next time we elect a President I hope we actually get someone QUALIFIED for the office. If anyone in the private sector was looking to hire an executive they would have never hired someone with Obie’s resume.
Yet he got in on BS and lies. The best liar shouldn’t win.
Media Matters makes our heads explode? Media Matters has no more effect on this bunch than a fart in a typhoon. They are less than inconsequential, but obviously, some of their readers feel our humble pages are worth getting their panties all in a wad or as Fearless Reader would say, all wee weed up.
@Mully: #23
So much in such a short statement. I usually say that I am tired of voting AGAINST a candidate, and want one I can vote FOR. Yours is better. I am saving it in my “Famous sayings” list. I have put several in it from FA commentors, but I happened to think that not ONE of them is from a liberal.
@Pete: Well said and thanks for your service!!
@john: Wow, you got all the way back to WMD?? IDIOT alert!! Try and keep up and clean out your pooopy diapers!!
I’m glad to hear someone else state the obvious over the “WMD” lies from the MSM during the war. But it proves that if you tell an lie big enough and often enough, it will become the truth. We found WMDs in all states of storage for years after the invasion. We interviewed Saddam and got the skinny on his intent.
GWB refused to make those issues public, because as a man of faith he believed history would judge his actions. In his mind, it didn’t matter if he was right or wrong, we were there and had to finish the job.
As for the issue of CIA operators not testifying. They can’t. The whole “whistle blower” protection deal is crap. Their lives would be destroyed, their families would suffer, and for what? Do you think if they told the truth, standing on a podium in front of the world anyone involved would go to jail or lose their jobs? That Chris Matthews or Tom Brokaw would cover it? No.
Hilliary will still be President. Obama will still make tens of millions and maybe hundreds of millions of dollars making speeches after he leaves- if he leaves. The same idiots will process back and forth from private to public jobs, doing the same dumbass stuff.
So don’t blame the operators. This isn’t the movies and there are no Harrison Fords starring as Jack Ryan. It doesn’t work that way anymore. While we were working at our jobs, they were working on making sure things like that don’t ever blow back onto the elites. They won.
We lost.
@Ronald J. Ward:
So in other words, you don’t have access to the video in question, and probably haven’t even seen it yourself.
Only the logomaniacs of academia are capable of producing two entirely worthless paragraphs in answer to a question that asks only for a simple single link. The fact that you were an educator and still don’t understand that it’s your job to support your own arguments, should disturb anyone who has children in school. Clearly you have no business educating anyone.
Benghazi attack could have been prevented if US hadn’t ‘switched sides in the War on Terror’ and allowed $500 MILLION of weapons to reach al-Qaeda militants, reveals damning report
Citizens Committee on Benghazi claims the US government allowed arms to flow to al-Qaeda-linked militants who opposed Muammar Gaddafi
Their rise to power, the group says, led to the Benghazi attack in 2012
The group claims the strongman Gaddafi offered to abdicate his presidency, but the US refused to broker his peaceful exit
The commission, part of the center-right Accuracy In Media group, concluded that the Benghazi attack was a failed kidnapping plot
US Ambassador Chris Stevens was to be captured and traded for ‘blind sheikh’ Omar Abdel-Rahman, who hatched the 1993 WTC bombing plot
@Kraken: #29
That was a great rebuttal. Short, and to the point.
He isn’t trying to “educate” anyone. He’s trying to BRAINWASH everyone. There is a BIG difference between the two.
@Kraken: #30
I read the story too. I expected the propaganda media not to report it, but I haven’t heard it on Fox News either.