x.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2108559810916426010
1 correction found
Not sending help to our HEROES in Benghazi
Official investigations found that help was in fact sent to Benghazi. They concluded the problem was not a refusal to send assistance, but that armed U.S. forces could not arrive in time to change the outcome.
Full reasoning
The post's wording is too absolute. Multiple official accounts say assistance was sent to Benghazi during and immediately after the attack.
- In sworn/official testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said: "The quickest response option available was a Tripoli-based security team" and that "within hours, this six-man team, including two U.S. military personnel, chartered a private airplane [and] deployed to Benghazi." He also said the Pentagon redirected surveillance assets and ordered additional forces to prepare to deploy.
- The State Department's Accountability Review Board likewise concluded that "Benghazi, Tripoli, and Washington communicated and coordinated effectively" and that "the interagency response was timely and appropriate," finding no evidence of undue delays or denial of support.
So the categorical claim that help was not sent is contradicted by the official record. A more defensible criticism would be that the help available was insufficient or too late to save everyone, but that is different from saying no help was sent at all.
2 sources
- Statement on the Attacks on the US Facilities in Benghazi, Libya before the Senate Armed Services Committee
"The quickest response option available was a Tripoli-based security team ... within hours, this six-man team, including two U.S. military personnel, chartered a private airplane [and] deployed to Benghazi."
- Briefing on the Accountability Review Board Report
"On the night of the attacks, Benghazi, Tripoli, and Washington communicated and coordinated effectively. They looped in the military right away, and the interagency response was timely and appropriate."