Whistleblower: No, Amb. Stevens Is Not Responsible For Benghazi

Townhall.com ^ | January 23, 2014 | Daniel Doherty

[Kaslin]

Gregory Hicks is a whistleblower who was bullied by the Obama administration and effectively punished when he tried to tell the truth about what happened on-the-ground in Benghazi, Libya on 9/11/12. He was there that day working as a diplomat for the State Department, and later testified he knew from the beginning terrorists were responsible for the attack, and thus “immediately” informed his superiors. The Senate Select Committee findings last week, however, concluded that the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi were preventable. But where does ultimate responsibility lie? The answer is obvious: with the current administration, which denied Amb. Stevens’ “repeated requests” for more security and protections on the ground. Nonetheless, there’s been speculation in certain quarters that Amb. Christopher Stevens himself -- who was the first ambassador to lose his life in service to his country since 1979 -- was at least partially responsible for the raid. Could he have "done more" to stop it? Here’s Piers Morgan asking John McCain that very question last week:

Piers to McCain: Wasn't Benghazi Mostly Ambassador Stevens' Fault? CNN (1.16.2014)

Now Hicks is taking a stand, writing at the WSJ that it’s high time to absolve the ambassador of any wrongdoing:

Last week the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report on the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The report concluded that the attack, which resulted in the murder of four Americans, was "preventable." Some have been suggesting that the blame for this tragedy lies at least partly with Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in the attack. This is untrue: The blame lies entirely with Washington.

You can read the entire op-ed here. But here’s what matters:

To sum up: Chris Stevens was not responsible for the reduction in security personnel. His requests for additional security were denied or ignored. Officials at the State and Defense Departments in Washington made the decisions that resulted in reduced security. Sen. Lindsey Graham stated on the Senate floor last week that Chris "was in Benghazi because that is where he was supposed to be doing what America wanted him to do: Try to hold Libya together." He added, "Quit blaming the dead guy."

Yes, the State Department has obviously “screwed up.” But who’s taking responsibility? Crickets.

[AllAmericanGirl44]

Not sure if you’ve seen this one.

Hope all is well.