At long last, more than three months after the terrorist attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on the 11th anniversary of 9-11, an independent panel has issued its report. (You know, it’s that independent investigation to which Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s so opposed. Snark)
Four Americans were killed in the Benghazi attack: U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and two heroic ex-Navy SEALS Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.
The report finds “systematic security faults” and lays the blame squarely on the U.S. State Department.
Here are the independent panel’s findings, as reported by Matthew Lee of The Associated Press, December 18, 2012:
- Systematic management and leadership failures at the State Department led to “grossly” inadequate security at the mission in Benghazi.
- The State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs are singled out for criticism for their lack of cooperation and confusion over protection at the mission in Benghazi.
- Despite those failures, the Accountability Review Board determined that no individual officials ignored or violated their duties and recommended no disciplinary action now. But it also said poor performance by senior managers should be grounds for disciplinary recommendations in the future.
- Contrary to what the Obama regime claimed, linking the Benghazi attack to an anti-Islamic film, there was no protest outside the Benghazi consulate. Responsibility for the attack rests entirely with the terrorists who attacked the mission.
- Although there there was no immediate, specific tactical warning of a potential attack on the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, however there had been several worrisome incidents in the run-up to the attack that should have set off warning bells.
- In addition to the State Department, the independent report also faults contract guards that the U.S. consulate depended on for protection, as well as the local Libyan militia force who, once the attack began, “it became unclear whose side they were on.”
- U.S. personnel on the ground in Benghazi “performed with courage and readiness to risk their lives to protect their colleagues in a near-impossible situation.” Those personnel include Diplomatic Security agents on the scene (including Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty) and CIA operatives at a nearby compound that later came under attack itself.
- The U.S. military is absolved from any blame: “There was simply not enough time for armed U.S. military assets to have made a difference.”
- The report made 29 recommendations to improve embassy security, particularly at high threat posts. Hillary Clinton said the State Department had already begun to implement some of the recommendations — increasing by several hundred the number of Marine guards stationed at diplomatic missions throughout the world; relying less on local security forces for protection at embassies, consulates and other offices; and increasing hiring and deployment of highly trained Diplomatic Security agents at at-risk posts. But Congress has denied some funding requests from the State Department for more security.
The Benghazi independent review was led by retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. The review studied thousands of pages of cables and other documents, hours of video and intelligence, and interviewed more than 100 people, including survivors. They will testify before the House and Senate foreign affairs committees behind closed doors today, Dec. 19, 2012.
None of this should come as a surprise to informed Americans because we’ve known for months now that Obama and the State Department had lied about Benghazi from the beginning.
As for Hillary, she is supposed to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Benghazi tomorrow. But lo and behold, two days ago we were told she got a BRAIN CONCUSSION (gasp!) when she fainted (gasp!) at home and hit her head (gasp!). The State Department says she fainted from dehydration after a “stomach virus”.
According to WebMD, brain concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. In rare cases concussions cause more serious problems.
Oddly, despite having a BRAIN CONCUSSION (gasp!), there are no reports that Hillary has sought medical care or gone to a hospital.
So much for her grand and noble proclamation on Oct. 15, 2012, that “I take responsibility” for what happened in Benghazi.
~Eowyn
