Katie Pavlich- It is no surprise by now that the White House is engaged in a full-blown cover-up of the 9/11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. First, the Obama administration blamed a YouTube video insulting Islam for the violence, saying a mob protesting the film got out of control, leading to the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty and Information Management Officer Sean Smith. We now know through multiple reports and emails that the White House and as many as 400 national security officials knew within two hours of the attack that it was carried out by terrorists linked to al Qaeda.
But let’s take a look at the deadly and violent consequences that came as a result of the Obama administration blaming the video after the initial planned attacks.
On September 11, the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, were attacked. The United States flag in both locations was torn down and al Qaeda flags were raised in their place. Neither event was a “spontaneous action.” The attack in Libya was pre-planned, with armed Islamic militants wielding RPGs leading the way. The riots in Egypt were pre-planned for 9/11 to protest the imprisonment of World Trade Center Bomber and “Blind Sheikh” Omar abdel Rahman, with al Qaeda sypathizers rallying the crowd.
It was after the initial attack in Egypt that the administration threw free speech under the bus. The U.S Embassy in Cairo released the following statement on 9/11, the same day as the attacks. Notice “the video” isn’t mentioned.
“The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.”
A day later, the same argument with a specific reference to an anti-Islam video was used by administration officials to explain the attack in Benghazi, the place Americans were brutally murdered and where they left bloody finger streaks on the walls of the U.S. consulate.
Although the White House initially distanced itself from the embassy statement above, they had their straw man. Obama administration officials decided to push the argument that the amateur YouTube video insulting Islam, with just 300 views at the time, was the reason for the violence. A spontaneous protest of the film that spun out of control was the talking point.
