State Department officials called the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack at the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, Libya, a “violent demonstration” even though they had known for many hours that it was a coordinated military-style assault, newly obtained documents show.
“Violent demonstrations took place at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and at the U.S. Special Mission Compound in Benghazi, Libya, resulting in damages in both locations and casualties in Benghazi,” the State Department said in a Sept. 12, 2012, statement issued by its Diplomatic Security Command Center.
The statement was uncovered in a partial document release in a lawsuit after the State Department refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch, a Right-leaning non-profit that works for increased transparency in government. The FOIA request sought “any and all activity logs, reports, or other records produced by the Diplomatic Security Command Center between Sept. 10 2012, and Sept. 13, 2012, regarding, concerning, or related to the attack at the U.S. Special Mission Compound and Classified Annex in Benghazi, Libya.”
In fact, State Department officials had watched the Benghazi attack unfold in a near real-time link. Deputy Assistant Secretary Of State Charlene Lamb testified to Congress on October 10, 2012 that a security agent at the embassy immediately activated the “Imminent Danger Notification System” and notified a nearby security team.
“From that point on, I could follow what was happening in almost real time,” she said.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Lamb’s testimony conflicted with the State Department’s claims.
“A day later, they issue a release that there was a demonstration at this facility,” he said. “They should have acknowledged that a terrorist attack occurred at Benghazi.”
He also said that embassy officials around the globe were endangered, because they weren’t alerted that there was a terrorist attack.
“They’re putting out false information and really putting people at risk,” Fitton said. “If you were at an embassy in Indonesia, wouldn’t you want to know there was a terrorist attack? I would.”
