Ed Morrissey:
Just how did the “talking points” issued after the sacking of our Benghazi consulate come to the conclusion that it started as a spontaneous demonstration over a video? A new report from Fox News shows that situation reports from the ground in Benghazi starting on September 12th made clear that the attack was a coordinated, planned assault by terrorists and not a protest run amok. Three days later, a teleconference with survivors of the attack confirmed this. Yet the Obama administration chose to insist that it was a demonstration rather than an attack — frustrating the survivors (via Instapundit):
[youtube]http://youtu.be/2nX1MJR_VbM[/youtube]
Fox News has confirmed that three days earlier, the CIA Chief of Station and the agency’s team in Libya also sent situation reports, known as sitreps, to Washington.The raw intelligence reporting described a coordinated attack by extremists, not an out-of-control protest.
“In a crisis like Benghazi, you would expect it’s going directly to the seventh floor,” Sam Faddis, who recently retired from the CIA and writes extensively about the intelligence community, said. The “seventh floor” refers to CIA leadership – at the time, Director David Petraeus and his second-in-command Morell, among others. “In a situation like this, you’re going to be looking at it immediately … your aides are going to be asked to flag it to your attention the second that it comes in and bring it to your desk — right in front of you,” he said.
Further, Fox News has learned new details about a secure video teleconference some 72 hours after the attack.Two sources familiar with the call say it included Morell, the CIA chief of station and Benghazi survivors who were evacuated to Germany — as well as Greg Hicks, the late Ambassador Chris Stevens’ deputy.
Fox News is told that after an update from personnel on the ground, Washington’s singular focus on the video left participants in Libya baffled, angry and dismayed that Morell seemed to dismiss their on-the-ground reporting.
Instead, Hillary Clinton and the White House insisted that it was a demonstration over the video:
There are two good things coming from the coverup of Benghazi getting out:
(1) With the truth coming out about it, and the IRS, and Fast and Furious, and other coverups, is that the general public are FINALLY realizing that obama is the Liar-and-Chief of the country. He was even given an award for the best lie of the year. Does he get a trophy or a plaque with the award?
(2) The propaganda media are losing viewers, listeners, and readers, while Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, the conservative blogs, etc., are gaining them. The truth is acting like a magnet and drawing more people to it all of the time.