White House Directed Incorrect Benghazi Narrative
Newly-released emails: "Video" to blame, "not a broader failure or policy."
By Sharyl Attkisson April 29, 2014
âNewly-released documents reveal direct White House involvement in steering the public narrative about the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, toward that of a spontaneous protest that never happened.
One of the operative documents, which the government had withheld from Congress and reporters for a year and a half, is an internal September 14, â2012 email to White House press officials from Ben Rhodes, President Obamaâs âAssistant and Deputy National Security Advisor. (Disclosure:Ben Rhodes âis the brother of David Rhodes, the President of CBS News, where I was employed until March.)
â
In the email, Ben Rhodes lists as a âgoalâ the White House desire âTo âunderscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure or policy.â
The email is entitled, âRE: PREP CALL with Susan, Saturday at 4:00 pm ETâ and refers to White House involvement in preparing then-U.S.Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice for her upcoming appearance on Sunday television â network political talk shows.
The Rhodes email states that another âgoalâ is âTo reinforce the President and Administrationâs strength and steadiness in dealing with difficult challenges.â
A court compelled the release of the documents, which were heavily-redacted, to the conservative watchdog group JudicialWatch, which has sued the government over its failed Freedom of Information responses. I have also requested Benghazi-related documents under Freedom of Information law, but the government has only produced a few pages to date.
Today, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called the Rhodes email the âsmoking gunâ showing the âpolitical manipulation by the White Houseâ after the attacks.
ââThe political shop at the White House took over early on,â Graham told me. âThey understood it was a terrorist attack, that they had a political problem, and were going to handle it politically. They werenât going to entertain anything other than what they wanted the public to hear.â
Read more at: http://www.sharylattkisson.com/new-benghazi-docs-april-29--2014.html
Newly-released emails: "Video" to blame, "not a broader failure or policy."
By Sharyl Attkisson April 29, 2014
âNewly-released documents reveal direct White House involvement in steering the public narrative about the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, toward that of a spontaneous protest that never happened.
One of the operative documents, which the government had withheld from Congress and reporters for a year and a half, is an internal September 14, â2012 email to White House press officials from Ben Rhodes, President Obamaâs âAssistant and Deputy National Security Advisor. (Disclosure:Ben Rhodes âis the brother of David Rhodes, the President of CBS News, where I was employed until March.)
â
In the email, Ben Rhodes lists as a âgoalâ the White House desire âTo âunderscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure or policy.â
The email is entitled, âRE: PREP CALL with Susan, Saturday at 4:00 pm ETâ and refers to White House involvement in preparing then-U.S.Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice for her upcoming appearance on Sunday television â network political talk shows.
The Rhodes email states that another âgoalâ is âTo reinforce the President and Administrationâs strength and steadiness in dealing with difficult challenges.â
A court compelled the release of the documents, which were heavily-redacted, to the conservative watchdog group JudicialWatch, which has sued the government over its failed Freedom of Information responses. I have also requested Benghazi-related documents under Freedom of Information law, but the government has only produced a few pages to date.
Today, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called the Rhodes email the âsmoking gunâ showing the âpolitical manipulation by the White Houseâ after the attacks.
ââThe political shop at the White House took over early on,â Graham told me. âThey understood it was a terrorist attack, that they had a political problem, and were going to handle it politically. They werenât going to entertain anything other than what they wanted the public to hear.â
Read more at: http://www.sharylattkisson.com/new-benghazi-docs-april-29--2014.html