Posted on 07/29/2013 10:41:41 AM PDT by smoothsailing
Congress will hear eagerly awaited testimony Wednesday on the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attack from a special operations task force commander who is set to retire the next day.
Col. George Bristol, the former commander of a task force that operated in Northern and Western Africa, will appear at a classified, members-only briefing with a House Armed Services subcommittee, congressional and Defense sources told The Hill.
Republicans have been pressing the military to allow Bristol to testify.
They argue he has a unique perspective given their concerns that the military wasn’t prepared to quickly respond to the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic annex that left four dead, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
“Col. Bristol has experience that could be valuable in deepening our understanding of the events of that day,” a committee source told The Hill. “Of particular interest to the committee is what our posture was in the weeks and months that proceeded the attack.”
Republicans have accused the Obama administration of downplaying or covering up the attack amid the heat of the 2012 election, and they have criticized the military’s posture in the run-up to the Sept. 11 anniversary.
Bristol’s testimony has not been easy to obtain.
House Oversight subcommittee on National Security Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), two of the most vocal critics of the administration’s Benghazi response, had requested that Bristol appear.
The Pentagon told CBS News on July 5 that Bristol, the commander of the Joint Special Forces Task Force-Trans Sahara, could not testify because he was retired.
But the Marine Corps Times first reported two weeks ago that Bristol had not yet retired, and he was actually on active-duty preparing for retirement through the end of the month.
Marine spokeswoman Maj. Shawn Haney said Bristol is in fact retiring from active duty on Aug. 1, which means he will be spending his last official day of service before Rep. Martha Roby’s (R-Ala.) Armed Services subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Haney said that Bristol was placed on the Marine Corps officers retired list on July 1, but he was voluntarily retained on active-duty until July 31, on terminal leave.
In response to the Times story, Graham quickly sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel asking for his request to be reconsidered.
“Due to his in-depth knowledge of the region, coupled with his close interaction with U.S. Special Operations Forces operating on the African content, I believed he would be the ideal person to speak with about what happened on the ground in Benghazi,” Graham wrote.
Bristol left his post as the special operations task force commander in March. At the change-of-command ceremony, he said that “an evil” has descended on Africa, according to Stars and Stripes. “It is on us to stomp it out.”
Bristol is just the latest military official to testify before congressional committees over the Benghazi attack.
Verrry interesting anything he might say will b behind closed doors. Transparency, my aunt fanny!
Day before retirement, if not the day after his unexpected heart attack / “suicide”. I’m surprised that more witnesses pending or potential haven’t been liquidated before now.
I’m hoping some of the goobers there at the meeting leak its content
Yes, the same one that they said was retired. Of course they have a story to explain it but I’m not going for it.
My apology ... I do not know.
That’s the problem with delaying depositions, hearings, testimony, etc.. It gives the evil empire more time to make sure the LIES are successfully corroborated among all players.
I’ll venture a guess or an opinion ... but why these hearings are being held behind closed doors is very telling of there is more wrong doing, going on, than We the Serfs are entitled to hear about. This is an opinion but has possibilities of being true based on what is currently known. Not everything is classified is another opinion.
Can't use his name right now. I don't want to go on a rant that could get me throw off FR.
I'll just say FUBO and leave it at that.
Excellent!
A special prosecutor has to be appointed by the AG. Ain't gonna happen. The only other avenue open to Congress is a select committee.
A public hearing gives witnesses the ability and excuse to not answer due to information being classified. The House Armed Services Committee has cleverly taken that option off the table with a classified members only briefing.
The only problem I have with a closed door hearing is there are facts known and if this was a republican president there would not be closed door hearings. These people are supposed to work for the citizens of the United States but our representatives are behaving as though they work for a third world country ... imho.
Let’s speculate. Perhaps initially he was unwilling to testify in an open session for security reasons. Perhaps he was unwilling to testify in any session, secure or not, because superior officers, some or all of whom he may respect, asked him too defer appearing pending further investigations by those superiors.
The bottom line is that he will testify and it may have been his bottom line, that notwithstanding any housekeeping or political pressures, he would indeed testify prior to retirement.
From what we know of him, he sounds like a Marine’s Marine, in which event we are fortunate to have him on our team.
May your assessment be correct. We have had too many losses.
there might be a little thingy called a pension involved?
After he’s retired, there is nothing the Obama Admin can do about his pension, unless they want to do it to every military pensioner. Their goose is cooked as to weapons to use against him, the day he is retired. Why do you think all of these military generals, and other high ranking military become talking heads on the cable TV programs after they retire. Because then they can voice their true opinions. Hope this general rats out the Obama Admin and Hillary and Panetta, bigtime.
Prayers up that you are correct but I have also heard and seen of things promised disappearing. Not to say you are incorrect though.
Dang. Baraq hadn't even visited there yet.
“one little nit picky point ... the person to testify is a Colonel.”
Thanks. I elevated him, although I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, lol.
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