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Libya: An Ever-shifting Narrative

October 17, 2012

Given the recent confusion over the facts, it might be useful to review a timeline of the Obama Administration’s ever-shifting narrative regarding the September 11th murder of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans. In the preceding months, the U.S. embassy twice asked for more security in Benghazi (March and July). The consulate was attacked twice previously (April and June). 

September 10

  • Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri calls for revenge of the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, his Libyan deputy.

September 12

  • In a reference to a YouTube video as the catalyst to the attack: “We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence.” – President Obama
  • “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.” – President Obama

September 13

  • “It is in fact a terrorist act.” – Ali Aujali, Libyan Ambassador to the United States

September 14

  • “The unrest we’ve seen around the region has been in reaction to a video that Muslims, many Muslims find offensive.” – White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

September 16

  • Referring to the White House statement that the attack was in response to a video, Q: “You don’t really believe that?” A: “Chris, absolutely I believe that. In fact, it is the case ... What sparked the recent violence was the airing on the Internet of a very hateful very offensive video that has offended many people around the world.” – U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice on Fox News Sunday
  • “Our current assessment is that what happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo, almost a copycat of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video.” –Ambassador Rice on NBC News Meet the Press
  • “Our current best assessment, based on the information that we have at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous— not a premeditated—response to what had transpired in Cairo. In Cairo, as you know, a few hours earlier, there was a violent protest that was undertaken in reaction to this very offensive video that was disseminated ... What happened this week in Cairo, in Benghazi, in many other parts of the region was a result—a direct result of a heinous and offensive video.” – Ambassador Rice on ABC News This Week
  • “Based on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy sparked by this hateful video.” – Ambassador Rice on CBS News Face the Nation
  • “Let’s recall what has happened in the last several days. There was a hateful video that was disseminated on the internet … That sparked violence in various parts of the world, including violence directed against western facilities including our embassies and consulates.” – Ambassador Rice on CNN State of the Union

September 17

  • Q: “does the United States Government regard what happened in Benghazi as an act of terror?” A: “Again, I’m not going to put labels on this until we have a complete investigation.” Q: “so you don’t regard it as an act of terrorism?” A: “I don’t think we know enough.” – State Department Spokesman at Daily Press Briefing

September 18

  • “You had a video that was released by somebody who lives here, sort of a shadowy character—who is an extremely offensive video directed at Mohammed and Islam, making fun of the Prophet Mohammed. This caused great offense in much of the Muslim world. But what also happened was extremists and terrorists used this as an excuse to attack a variety of our embassies, including the one the consulate in Libya.” – President Obama on the Late Show with David Letterman

September 19

  • Senator Lieberman: would you “say that Ambassador Stevens and the three other Americans died as a result of a terrorist attack?” A: “Certainly, on that particular question, I would say yes. They were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy.” – Matt Olson, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee

September 20

  • “What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists.” – President Obama

September 21

  • “What happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack.” – Secretary Clinton

September 25

  • “A crude and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world.” – President Obama, speech to the U.N. General Assembly
  • Later, on the daytime television show “The View,” he does not confirm Secretary Clinton’s assessment as the attacks being terrorism.

Earlier this month the Obama Administration finally had to be accountable in a hearing before a House Committee. What began as asserting that the terrorist attack in Benghazi commenced as extremist elements taking advantage of a spontaneous protest to assassinate the Ambassador there came full circle the day before the hearing, with the Administration saying the spontaneous protest in fact never existed. “Ahead of the hearing, State Department officials provided new details about the attack ... The new details also appeared to confirm that there was no protest or other benign gathering outside the compound gates, as initially described by some in the administration.” – Washington Post, October 9.