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| Panetta Blocks Senior Officers From Responding To House Committee On Benghazi |
| 2012-10-20 |
| The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is demanding answers from four senior United States military officers about whether there was advance warning of terrorist threats and the need for greater security prior to last month’s terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. However, an aide to the chairman, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, (R., Calif.), said the office of secretary of defense Leon Panetta blocked the senior officers from providing the answers last night. “The chairman is disappointed that the administration won’t respond to this basic request for information,” the aide said. “It is nearly unprecedented that the office of the secretary of defense would prohibit a member of the uniformed military from answering direct questions posed by the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.” The chairman’s letters are dated Thursday. They were sent to Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, which is responsible for military activities in Africa; Adm. William H. McRaven, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command; Vice Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, director for operations at the Pentagon’s Joint Staff; and Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. McKeon asked the officers to provide answers to questions about security threats by the close of business Friday. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #27 A new and much more dangerous “October Surprise” is now being calculated and calibrated by Pharaoh’s 6 NOV victory crew. They’ll be assiduously and satanically working with Iranian leadership to miraculously negotiate non-proliferation “talks” with the dinner jacket to temporarily suspend their nuke development projects. He’ll also cajole the 12th imam to stay down in the well for a few more months as Team Zero loots our Treasury (broke) scouring for a fat RDTE seed money down-payment to restart. SURPRISE! (Psst..never happen). |
| Posted by: canalzone 2012-10-20 22:21 |
| #26 While attention is focused on who knew, when did they know, and why were we lied to, it seems that no one cares about the egregious failure of this administration to come to the aid of Americans under mortal attack by hordes of terrorists .The attack was monitored real time both audio and video for most of the attack.We had military assets less than an hour away which could have destroyed the attackers in minutes from 10000 feet,Did no one lift a finger to repel the savages and save our fellow Americans?How disgraceful. Get to the bottom of the lies and misdirections by all means, but keep in mind why they died. Their fellow citizens who had the knowledge and the power to save them, and whose sacred trust it was to come to their aid. did nothing to help them. Losing the election is not sufficient justice for everyone involved, for every coward who dared not speak, who worried more about chains of command and overfly permission and their careers.For the sake of the Republic and the safety of generations to come, an example of the fruits of cowardice and political correctness should be established now. Sincerely John Morrissey Edina Mn 55436 |
| Posted by: Snomolet Sninese9457 2012-10-20 21:51 |
| #25 Driving Ms. Besoeker to dinner someplace or other. The granite tops will not be littered this late, someone else will fix. Good for you B. I, on the other hand, after having been accused of guzzling the last of the Kaluha, even the stash in the RV, had to prove to Spousal Unit that that was not so. My dinner tonight consists of hot tongue and cold shoulder. But at least the Kaluha is safe. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2012-10-20 21:33 |
| #24 Most transparent adiminstration ever. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2012-10-20 19:59 |
| #23 I am curious about the Benghszi Drone. I'd bet during this event we had a good look at what was going on. |
| Posted by: Dale 2012-10-20 18:47 |
| #22 Valerie Jarrett, the Senior Staff Advisor to the President on "assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs" has SIX full time Secret Service Agents assigned to her in a 24/7 protection detail She needs them to keep the animal control officers at bay. Seriously Valerie is Obama's minder. She is the one who always advised against taking Bin Laden out. I wouldn't put it past her to have advised him to leave the Ambassador's ass hanging in the wind so that we have an excuse to leave that part of Libya to Al-Qaeda, further demoralizing our diplomatic corps and military. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2012-10-20 18:44 |
| #21 And remember, since somewhere around Sept 17, Romney/Ryan are being "read" in on the Security Briefings... Gotta mean something.... |
| Posted by: Sherry 2012-10-20 18:37 |
| #20 Valerie Jarrett, the Senior Staff Advisor to the President on "assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs" has SIX full time Secret Service Agents assigned to her in a 24/7 protection detail, a mission never before offered to staff in that role. Because, my friends, there has never been an assistant to the president who actually controlled the president. The guy she's 'assisting' is only a puppet. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2012-10-20 17:21 |
| #19 I must leave you now. Time for my evening duties; Driving Ms. Besoeker to dinner someplace or other. The granite tops will not be littered this late, someone else will fix. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 17:06 |
| #18 I've been amazed over the years, the questioning minds and analytic scenarios that surface on this blog. One might suppose it's not the first rodeo for many here. I am quite umbled to be in such company, if only digitally. :-) |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 16:59 |
| #17 a post-election Romney request for mass-retirement of political jackasses from the DOD, DOS, DOJ, DOE, EPA, CIA, .... is in order. Root out these bastards |
| Posted by: Frank G 2012-10-20 16:58 |
| #16 ..cause its work so well with the Norks. I have some swamp land to sell you too. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-10-20 16:48 |
| #15 Whether or not it's a wise thing to do is another story. Like they sez: it's the cover what gets ya. As for RUMINT, Wretchard was floating the idea the Oct Surprise was a trade: one ambassador for the islamo-sheik Morsi wanted sprung. That's why no one got worked up about the attack/demonstration, which sadly went awry. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2012-10-20 16:48 |
| #14 There is some open source RUMINT that Champ's so-called "October Surprise" may be ongoing secret negociations which will result to a US/Iranian deal on nuclear weapons development. The disclosure of Iranian intelligence involvement in the Benghazi consulate attack would certainly queer the pudding. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 16:26 |
| #13 Besoeker said: "Panetta is simply trying to 'run the clock out'. " Insightful, my friend. As soon as the Nov election is decided - the USA-Israel-Iran nuclear issue is going to raise its head in a major way. I don't know what the President will ultimately do. But I doubt seriously that Netanyahu will sit on his hands for very much longer. And when the next ME war erupts ... the whole Libya incident will be completely forgotten. |
| Posted by: Raider 2012-10-20 15:49 |
| #12 MY GI Bill is long gone, but I think it's clearly time for me to enroll in the nearest anger management course. This stuff is making me go mad. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 14:20 |
| #11 Oh, it's a block alright. Like his stint at the CIA, Panetta is doing what he was chosen for. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-10-20 14:16 |
| #10 If congress can call the SECDEF to testify, surely they can call up anyone under him. You may be correct Pappy, but my sensing is, it's an illegal directive or order. The flag officers mentioned, clearly have a grasp on ground truth. Panetta is simply trying to 'run the clock out'. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 14:01 |
| #9 I believe Panetta has just issued a phueching illegal order! Actually, SecDef can prevent them from providing answers. Whether or not it's a wise thing to do is another story. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-10-20 13:56 |
| #8 Just to add an important tidbit, while Ambassador Stevens had $4.00 per hour, unarmed Libyan Security Guards to augment a very small State Department RSO staff, in Libya, where there were repeated, active threats and acts of violence, Valerie Jarrett, the Senior Staff Advisor to the President on "assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs" has SIX full time Secret Service Agents assigned to her in a 24/7 protection detail, a mission never before offered to staff in that role. Read the article to see what the Commander-in-Chief really thinks is important. Caution, it will make you angry! link |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2012-10-20 13:43 |
| #7 (Above should read NEO vs NAO) |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 13:27 |
| #6 I believe Panetta has just issued a phueching illegal order! In a post yesterday I asked "who have we not heard from, yes, the Department of Defense". Well, here it is, per usual....on a Friday. Congress knows this is a presidential cock-up of the first order, and they know who would have recommended an extremis force or NAO (Non-Combatant Evacuation) mission on a poorly secured consulatte. They also know who would have failed to provide the leadership and the go ahead. The onion continues to be peeled. "Watergate was very bad and resulted in the resignation of a sitting president, but no one died". Charles Krauthammer |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-20 13:14 |
| #5 So the question Romney needs to ask in Monday's debate is: Mr. President, what are you hiding? |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2012-10-20 12:19 |
| #4 Technically speaking, only someone subject to the UCMJ can prefer charges against someone else subject to the UCMJ. Panetta can't subject anyone to the UCMJ, he has to use a lack, like say CJCS. Cause any commissioned officer can submit their resignation/retirement papers and like the former DoJ attorney, appear before Congress and answer questions. Of course that takes integrity which a lot of the uniform political appointees surrender for the job titles. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-10-20 11:37 |
| #3 "Let me be clear! It was a spontaneous, yet well-planned, response to a terrorist youtube-related attack on Mohammed" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2012-10-20 11:36 |
| #2 Panetta needs to be on every Sunday talk show, this week and next week, trying to explain why the HASC is not entitled to question active duty military officers, without civilian interference. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2012-10-20 11:31 |
| #1 more evidence that pinata is just another bambi schill. at one time he had a spine; musta had a democratomy. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2012-10-20 11:10 |