The Weapons Of Benghazi
BY Herschel Smith
9 years, 3 months ago
In response to this piece Kris Paronto wrote me a nice note. He’s playing the long game, and I think he knows that we’ll eventually find out the truth – all of it. I’ll never tire of explaining as I have before that my military readers knew within 24 hours that this was the result of a well-planned, well-coordinated combined arms attack with the use of crew served weapons. It was no spontaneous riot and it wasn’t an accident. Again, we knew that virtually immediately, the administration talking points notwithstanding.
Now to what we’ve officially learned in the last several days.
On the third anniversary of the Benghazi terrorist attack, emails reviewed by Fox News raise significant questions about US government support for the secret shipment of weapons to the Libyan opposition.
During the Spring of 2011, as the Obama administration ramped up efforts to topple the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a licensed American arms dealer, Marc Turi, his business partner formerly with the CIA, senior US military officials in Europe and Africa as well as a former staffer for republican Senator John McCain considered logistics for arming the rebels, according to the emails exclusively obtained by Fox Business and Fox News.
Turi is facing federal trial this December on two counts that he allegedly violated the arms export control act by making false statements. Turi denies the charges, and alleges there was a rogue weapons operation run with the knowledge of Mrs. Clinton’s state department.
The email dated March 22, 2011 was sent by Admiral James Stavridis, when he was the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, from his government email account to Turi’s business partner David Manners.
The email was also copied to General Carter Ham, then head of the defense department’s Africa command. Stavridis vouches for Manners as a United States Naval Academy classmate and “former CIA Officer with deep connections throughout the near Middle East.”
Also copied on the email is Mike Kostiw who worked for Senator John McCain until February 2011 on the Senate Armed Services committee. It is not known from the emails reviewed by Fox whether the parties responded, or whether others were brought into the discussion.
Stavridis tells Manners “The person in charge of the operation from a US DoD perspective is General Carter Ham, the commander of AFRICOM…Clearly, what you are describing is a State Department lead.”
General Ham headed the effort logistically, while the entire idea was sponsored by the State Department. For his silence, General Ham was given a golden parachute.
I had previously said:
As to what I suspect – but cannot yet prove – the movement of weapons to terrorists was becoming hard to hide, and the whole operation had ripened to the point of rottenness. Stevens had to be moved out and told to shut up about what he knew. Even if the administration didn’t plan the military operation to take down the consulate at Benghazi, they nevertheless used it to hide their tracks.
The administration didn’t know how long the attack would last, and so there was certainly a QRF on the European continent that could have been sent, even if it turns out they would not have arrived in time to assist Stevens and the team with which you deployed, Kris. Furthermore, there could also have been air assets within theater that were brought to bear, and perhaps even another QRF closer than Europe.
General Ham – who quietly went into the night with no explanation – knows something. Leon Panetta knows something. General Petraeus knows something. No one is talking, but one day we will find out the truth of Benghazi, how a small team was left to perish because it was more expedient for the political life of the administration. One day we will know.
That day inches ever forward. Now I want to know where the QRF and air support was, and don’t tell me again that there wasn’t any except for a few Delta boys in Tripoli – it’s insulting. As for the Obama administration, it’s criminals in clown cars all the way down.
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On September 15, 2015 at 10:09 am, Blake said:
What is appalling about the Obama apologists is they are not willing to understand that their lives are also expendable if it would further the goals of the current administration.
On another note, I recently started reading “13 Hours in Benghazi.” There is a brief paragraph in the book recounting that the staff at the embassy were aware of demonstrations at the Egyptian embassy (supposedly) inspired by an anti-Muslim video. The staff at the embassy were aware of the video before the attack on the embassy in Libya. This is the same Nakoula video the administration used during the public lie tour by administration officials.
I find it intriguing, because if it is true that talking point was out even before the tragedy at the embassy, then I want to know how an obscure video was already in the information loop before the attack. Not only do I want to know how, I want to know why.
On September 15, 2015 at 11:02 am, Archer said:
I’ve been told, but haven’t confirmed, that the QRF and air support was in Italy, less than two hours away.
I’ve also been told that they knew there was an attack going on and were assembled and ready to respond, but cross-border operations require the approval of the President, who couldn’t/wouldn’t be arsed.
If that’s true, there’s a decided moral – if not criminal – dereliction of duty going all the way up the chain of command.
On September 15, 2015 at 8:47 pm, guest said:
I believe that there’s a legal term for what we’re talking about here. When a human being dies due to another human being’s depraved indifference to human life, the second person can be charged with the crime of “manslaughter,” a felony.
Obama and Hillary both need to be charged with manslaughter. Not that this will ever happen. “At this point, what difference does it make?”
On September 15, 2015 at 5:50 pm, Grandpa said:
To quote from an excellent book, “The Sixth Battle” – and I paraphrase, for brevity and old age… the question asked by presidents from Pearl Harbor, to Tonkin Gulf, to every dang thing since then… is: “where are the carriers?” The Navy has carriers in the Med all the time. The replacement arrives before the current on station leaves. This is a fact, not speculation. Likely, due to the instability in the region, that one carrier battle group may even be 2 CBGs. Our Navy has “the alert 5 aircraft”; sitting on the catapults; fueled, crewed, and loaded for bear, 24/7/365. These are in all likelihood F/A 18s. Right behind them, would be the tanker support, and who knows what else. Now, the Obama administration can SAY that there were no assets available, or ready, or close enough, or what ever, but there is NO ONE who believes it. Perhaps they would not have precise targeting info when they launch, but I bet we have the capability to get it to them ‘somehow’ once airborne. And, I bet that even if not, I bet they could find Benghazi – even in the dark. And, much to the contrary to what has been said by certain individuals in .gov; Americans died, so it does matter; and it always will.
On September 22, 2015 at 12:13 pm, Josh said:
This site needs more Grandpa.
On January 1, 2017 at 7:26 pm, Grandpa said:
In an article today, on the Fox news website, there was a statement that with carrier Eisenhower returning to port, for the first time since WWII, the US has no deployed carriers… I did copy a pertinent part of the article; to update what I said above.
Here you go: “Other factors contribute to the U.S. Navy not having an aircraft carrier deployed anywhere in the world right now. From 2011 to 2013, the Navy maintained two carriers in the Persian Gulf on the orders of Centcom’s then-commander, Gen. James Mattis, who is now President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary.”
So, like I said; Clinton and Obama’s claim of no assets in theater to assist in Benghazi – is complete and total bullshit. Happy new year 2017.
On January 1, 2017 at 7:39 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Can you kindly post the URL for the article?
On January 1, 2017 at 7:59 pm, Grandpa said:
Glad to, brother. Now, there’s comments ‘everywhere’ about combat radius of our aircraft, etc. – and the distance from the Persian Gulf to Benghazi. I wonder if it was farther from RAF Lakenheath to Libya for the F-111s, when we first bombed Libya? Especially in light of not over flying France or Spain? In any case, here you go:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/30/no-us-carrier-at-sea-leaves-gap-in-middle-east.html
On September 16, 2015 at 11:20 am, CassandraBird said:
vile people