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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNo Benghazi "Stand Down" Order Was Given: Another Fox Narrative Falls Apart
A claim pushed dozens of times by Fox News that security forces were ordered to "stand down" during the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks on a U.S. diplomatic facility collapsed after the commander of those security forces testified that he received no such order.
More than a month after the attacks in Benghazi killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, Fox began airing accusations that security forces present in Libya at the time were ordered to "stand down" by the Obama administration. Fox's confused coverage over the months claimed that both a reaction force that was dispatched to Benghazi and suffered two casualties while trying to defend the facility, and a group of four special forces troops in Tripoli received "stand down" orders. This accusation was given new fuel after former Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks May 8 remarks made before a congressional committee appeared to confirm claims that Lt. Col. Gibson, who commanded a small team of special forces troops in Tripoli, was ordered to "stand down." Fox baselessly speculated that either President Obama or then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the alleged order.
A search of the Nexis database shows that the accusation that these security forces were ordered to "stand down" was made in 85 segments on the network's primetime shows by Fox hosts, contributors, guests, and in video accompanying news reports and commentary.
But now even Republicans are admitting that a "stand down" order was never given. According to The Associated Press, Gibson told a Republican-led congressional committee on June 26 that he was never ordered to "stand down."
The former commander of a four-member Army Special Forces unit in Tripoli, Libya, denied Wednesday that he was told to stand down during last year's deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi.
In a closed-door session with the House Armed Services Committee, Lt. Col. S.E. Gibson said his commanders told him to remain in the capital of Tripoli to defend Americans in the event of additional attacks and to help survivors being evacuated from Benghazi.
full: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/06/27/no-benghazi-stand-down-order-was-given-another/194644
full ap story http://bigstory.ap.org/article/former-us-commander-libya-disputes-diplomat
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)K & R
freshwest
(53,661 posts)zappaman
(20,605 posts)Back in the day, this would have had so many recs and replies, it would be on the front page.
These days...not so much.
Guess all the cool kids at DU don't like Obama anymore.