The news about Benghazi today centers around the capture and questioning of ringleader Abu Khatallah. With current concerns about Mirandizing Khatallah and trying him in American civilian courts, it seems that the current administration can’t do anything concerning Benghazi and the fallout from the attack without controversy.
SOFREP first reported on the attack on September 12, 2012, just hours after it occurred. Of course, we were in shock as we quickly learned of the loss of Glen Doherty, Brandon’s close friend, SEAL sniper training partner, and SOFREP NSW Editor.
Blake Miles attacked the notion that this was an uprising caused by an anti-Muhammad film, recognizing the planning and coordination of the attacks for what they were. We paid tribute to Glen Doherty and Ty Woods who, along with Sean Smith and Christopher Stevens, were killed in the attack, and you, our readers, poured in with condolences and good words for these fine men.
Jack followed news and intel sources concerning the Arab Spring and unrest at US embassies around the world. Mark Miller wrote about the accuracy and detailed knowledge of the attackers, and questioned whether a security breach preceded the attack.
Then we ramped it up as we started to reveal the details of the attack, the investigation, the attackers, CIA activities, the press, and the politics behind it all.
As the investigation into the attack began, we introduced you to Charlene Lamb, found that the RSO in Libya requested additional security – twice, analyzed the viability of sending a rescue force during the attack, we showed you State Dept. email comms during the attack, and brought news that a JSOC team and SF CIF team were told to stand down.
Did anything go right regarding the Benghazi attack? Hell yes it did. A very small team of former (Glen and Ty) and active Special Operations personnel, against an overwhelming enemy force, successfully rescued over forty Americans.
Finally, we released Benghazi: The Definitive Report, “an unforgettably gripping minute-by-minute narrative of the events and their aftermath as they really unfolded on that terrible day in Libya” and a book that got SOFREP a lot of press and a lot of trouble. We shook things up a bit with our investigation into the attack, and some people were not happy about it. Blake Miles read the book and has a solid review of it.
Since then, we’ve gone on to cover the State Department’s ATA program, why the White House was not naming Benghazi attack suspects, cross-border authority, State Dept. coverups, the Benghazi stand-down order, new revelations on the anniversary of the attack, we called out the American media, caught up with Charlene Lamb, spoke with Congressman Louie Gohmer about Benghazi, and celebrated Khattala’s capture by Delta and HRT.
Throughout our reporting on the Benghazi attack and aftermath, we’ve been openly angry and amazed at what did and did not happen before, during and after the attack. We’ve done our best to provide level journalism and the truth about the saga. Still, the loss of four great Americans and the bungling of State and others hurts and angers us. The loss of Glen makes it very personal.
We published excerpts from Ambassador Stevens’ diary, “because the professional journal has clear journalistic value and contains important information relating to a clear and intentional cover up. Our bias in all of this is to shed light on the truth with regards to the Benghazi attack.”
“We desire, as do a lot of good Americans, to finally see some accountability through the smoke and mirrors that have existed to date. Will we hold people accountable and learn from our past mistakes? Or will we continue to repeat mistakes of the past, and promote a culture at the senior levels of State that encourages dodging responsibility over taking a stand for integrity?”
Finally, take a moment to read a farewell note to Glen, written by Brandon after attending his funeral. It’s a letter worth reading more than once.
(Patrick Kennedy Image Courtesy: BusinessWeek.com)
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