Public vs. Private Timeline
9/11—Public Statements
Secretary Clinton's 10:08 p.m. Statement on the Attack in Benghazi:
"I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today. * * * Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet."
9/11—Private Statements
Secretary Clinton's Call Sheet for call with President of Libya Mohammed al Magariaf at 6:49 p.m.:
Under heading "Purpose of Call" notes that "Secretary should urge Mr. Magariaf to respond urgently to the attack against the U.S. Mission Benghazi, and security threats against U.S. Embassy Tripoli." No mention of a protest or video.
Summary of Call between Secretary Clinton and President Magariaf:
"[O]ur diplomatic mission was attacked[.] . . . [T]here is a gun battle ongoing, which I understand Ansar as-Sharia [sic] is claiming responsibility for." No mention of protest or video.
Secretary Clinton's E-mail to daughter at 11:23 p.m.:
"Two of our officers were killed in Benghazi by an Al Quedalike [sic] group[.]"
9/12—Public Statements
Secretary Clinton's Remarks on the Deaths of American Personnel in Benghazi, Libya morning of September 12, 2012:
"We are working to determine the precise motivations and methods of those who carried out this assault. Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our Embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the internet."
9/12—Private Statements
Summary of Discussion between Acting Assistant Secretary Beth Jones and Libyan Ambassador Aujali at 9:45 a.m.:
"I told him that the group that conducted the attacks—Ansar Al Sharia—is affiliated with Islamic extremists."
Jacob Sullivan in e-mail to embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan:
"There was not really violence in Egypt [and] "we are not saying that the violence in Libya erupted 'over inflammatory videos.'"
Secretary Clinton's Statements to Egyptian Prime Minister Kandil at 3:04 p.m.:
"We know that the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack – not a protest. . . . Based on the information we saw today we believe the group that claimed responsibility for this was affiliated with al Qaeda."
Under Secretary Patrick Kennedy to congressional staff briefing:
When asked whether "this [was] an attack under the cover of a protest" Kennedy said, "No the attack was a direct breaching attack." More to the point, he was then asked whether "we believe [this was] coordinated with [the] Cairo [protests] to which Kennedy responded, "Attack in Cairo was a demonstration. There were no weapons shown or used. A few cans of spray paint."
9/13—Public Statements
Secretary Clinton's Morocco Remarks:
"I also want to take a moment to address the video circulating on the Internet that has led to these protests in a number of countries. * * *
To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose: to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage. But as I said yesterday, there is no justification, none at all, for responding to this video with violence. * * *
Violence, we believe, has no place in religion and is no way to honor religion. Islam, like other religions, respects the fundamental dignity of human beings, and it is a violation of that fundamental dignity to wage attacks on innocents. As long as there are those who are willing to shed blood and take innocent life in the name of God, the world will never know a true and lasting peace. It is especially wrong for violence to be directed against diplomatic missions. . . .
***
I wanted to begin with this statement, because, as our Moroccan friends and all of you know, this has been a difficult week at the State Department. I very much appreciate, Minister, the condolences your government expressed to our Embassy in Rabat. And even though that tragedy happened far away in Benghazi, we found a reminder of the deep bounds that connect Morocco to the United States."
9/13—Private Statements
Summary of call between State Department Deputy Secretary Thomas Nides and Egyptian ambassador to U.S.:
"Nides said he understood the difference between the targeted attack in Libya and the way the protest escalated in Egypt."
9/14—Public Statements
White House Spokesman Jay Carney during press conference answering question about Benghazi:
"We have no information to suggest that it was a preplanned attack. The unrest we've seen around the region has been in reaction to a video that Muslims, many Muslims find offensive. And while the violence is reprehensible and unjustified, it is not a reaction to the 9/11 anniversary that we know of, or to U.S. policy."
E-mail from White House Advisor Benjamin Rhodes:
Under heading "Goals" he wrote "To underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy[.]"
Return of remains ceremony statement to father of Tyrone Woods recorded in diary:
"I gave Hillary a hug and shook her hand, and she said we are going to have the filmmaker arrested who was responsible for the death of my son."
Return of remains ceremony statement to mother of Sean Smith:
"We were nose-to-nose at the coffin ceremony. She told me it was the fault of the video. I said 'are you sure?' She says 'yes, that's what it was . . . it was the video.'" 9/14—Private Statements
E-mail from State Department press officer in embassy in Tripoli, Libya: "Colleagues, I mentioned to Andy this morning, and want to share with all of you, our view at Embassy Tripoli that we must be cautious in our local messaging with regard to the inflammatory film trailer, adapting it to Libyan conditions. . . . Relatively few [Facebook comments and tweets] have even mentioned the inflammatory video. So if we post messaging about the video specifically, we may draw unwanted attention to it. And it is becoming increasingly clear that the series of events in Benghazi was much more terrorist attack than a protest which escalated into violence. It is our opinion that in our messaging, we want to distinguish, not conflate, the events in other countries with this well-planned attack by militant extremists. I have discussed this with Charge Hicks and he shares PAS's view."
9/15—Public Statements
President's Weekly Address titled "Carrying on the Work of Our Fallen Heroes" muddles Benghazi and protests in other countries:
"This tragic attack takes place at a time of turmoil and protest in many different countries. I have made it clear that the United States has a profound respect for people of all faiths. We stand for religious freedom. And we reject the denigration of any religion – including Islam."
9/15—Private Statements
Secretary Clinton's call with Prime Minister-Elect of Libya:
Makes no mention of either a protest or the video.
9/16—Public Statements
Ambassador Rice on Fox News With Chris Wallace:
"But we don't see at this point signs this was a coordinated plan, premeditated attack."
9/16—Private Statements
Excerpt from Embassy Tripoli Media Report September 16, 2012: "[T]here is evidence that suggests that the second confrontation at the UM mission's safe house could not have happened without insider knowledge or some degree of organization. This goes against statements that the attacks were not carried out by a single group but by an angry multitude protesting[.]"
9/17—Public Statements
Excerpt from State Department Daily Press Briefing:
"Ambassador Rice, in her comments on every network over the weekend, was very clear, very precise, about what our initial assessment of what happened is. . . . I don't have anything to give you beyond that."
9/17—Private Statements
Excerpt from e-mail discussion between members of NEA press office about what to say about attack:
NEA Press Officer Suggested the following language:
"The currently available information suggests the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests of the US Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault[.]"
Senior Libya Desk Officer, Near Eastern Affairs Bureau responding to suggested language:
"I really hope this was revised. I don't think we should go on the record on this."
9/18—Public Statements
Excerpt from White House Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney:
. . . I would point you to what Ambassador Rice said and others have said about what we know thus far about the video and its influence on the protests that occurred in Cairo, in Benghazi and elsewhere."
9/18—Private Statements
Deputy Director of CIA Michael Morell in written statement to House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence:
"The critically important point is that the analysts considered this a terrorist attack from the very beginning."
E-mail exchange between State Department security officers commenting on news article titled "White House sees no sign Libya attack premeditated":
DS Agent #30: "Can you believe this?"
DS Agent: "Was there any rioting in Benghazi reported prior to the attack?"
DS Agent #30: "Zip, nothing nada"
9/19—Public Statements
From "ALDAC"—a worldwide cable—from Secretary Clinton to all U.S. Embassies drafted by Deputy Chief of Staff Jacob Sullivan:
"Since September 11, 2012, there have been widespread protests and violence against U.S. and some other diplomatic posts across the Muslim world. The proximate cause of the violence was the release by individuals in the United States of the video trailer for a film that many Muslims find offensive. Diplomatic compounds have been breached in several countries including Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen. In Benghazi, Libya four U.S. personnel were killed in the violence[.]"
The administration, including Secretary Clinton, knew that Benghazi was a terrorist attack—from witness accounts, from their understanding of the history of violence in Benghazi, and from the nature of the well-planned, complex attack. Yet, they led the public to believe the video and a protest were to blame in Benghazi.
9/20—Public Statements
Excerpt from interview of the President on Univision Town Hall:
In response to the question, "We have reports that the White House said today that the attacks in Libya were a terrorist attack. Do you have information indicating that it was Iran, or al Qaeda was behind organizing the protests?" the President answered, "[W]e're still doing an investigation[.] . . . What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests[.]"
Secretary Clinton has since blamed her statements on changing information received from U.S. intelligence reports. She and others have claimed that the 10:08 p.m. statement was not meant to ascribe a motive to the attack. Yet, Sullivan knew the morning of September 12th—based on the press release from the embassy in Kabul—that people had heard it exactly that way. Moreover, whether or not the intelligence information changed, Secretary Clinton's public and private statements remained unchanged—publicly tying Benghazi and Cairo together and privately recognizing the violence in Benghazi was a terrorist attack with nothing to do with a protest or video.
Moreover, to the extent any intelligence analysis incorrectly reported on a protest or a video in connection with Benghazi, Secretary Clinton and other State officials, who knew better, simply ignored them. As just one example, in her conversation September 15, 2012 with the president of Libya, Secretary Clinton made no mention of anything in the CIA talking points that administration officials later claimed were the best assessment available at the time, and those talking points made no mention of a video in connection with Benghazi. In short, Secretary Clinton and the administration knew better than to rely on flawed intelligence reports. Intelligence assessments may have changed. News reports may have changed. But the eye witness accounts remained same—and not one said a protest had occurred. Yet, once Secretary Clinton and Ben Rhodes set the message, the truth became an afterthought
http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-be...rticle/2003058
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Originally Posted by Vaerys
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