Monday, September 12, 2016

Benghazi and HRC's Culpability, the SECCA Time Around

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Gregory Hicks, the former DCM in Tripoli, now retired, has written an opinion piece for Fox News with the very election-year-sounding title of "What the Benghazi Attack Taught Me About Hillary Clinton."

Far be it from me to defend HRC, however, Mr. Hicks repeats a mistaken impression concerning security waivers that was debunked by the Benghazi Accountability Review Board report (here) but which has been flogged repeatedly by his legal counsel, the frequent Fox News contributor Victoria Toensing (bio here). It ought to be corrected, although of course it won't be so long as it has political utility.

Here are excerpts from Hicks' opinion piece:
Last month, I retired from the State Department after 25 years of public service as a Foreign Service officer. As the Deputy Chief of Mission for Libya, I was the last person in Tripoli to speak with Ambassador Chris Stevens before he was murdered in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on our Benghazi post. On this, the fourth anniversary of the Benghazi tragedy, I would like to offer a different explanation for Benghazi’s relevance to the presidential election than is usually found in the press.

Just as the Constitution makes national security the President’s highest priority, U.S. law mandates the secretary of state to develop and implement policies and programs "to provide for the security … of all United States personnel on official duty abroad.”

-- Snip --

The Benghazi Committee’s report graphically illustrates the magnitude of her failure. It states that during August 2012, the State Department reduced the number of U.S. security personnel assigned to the Embassy in Tripoli from 34 (1.5 security officers per diplomat) to 6 (1 security officer per 4.5 diplomats), despite a rapidly deteriorating security situation in both Tripoli and Benghazi. Thus, according to the Report, “there were no surplus security agents” to travel to Benghazi with Amb. Stevens “without leaving the Embassy in Tripoli at severe risk.”

Had Ambassador Stevens’ July 2012 request for 13 additional American security personnel (either military or State Department) been approved rather than rejected by Clinton appointee Under Secretary of State for Management Pat Kennedy, they would have traveled to Benghazi with the ambassador, and the Sept. 11 attack might have been thwarted.

To digress a bit, that is not really what the former RSO in Tripoli, Eric Nordstrom, said in his testimony to the House Oversight Committee. You can read his prepared statement here courtesy of state.gov.
Let me say a word about the evening of September 11th. The ferocity and intensity of the attack was nothing that we had seen in Libya, or that I had seen in my time in the Diplomatic Security Service. Having an extra foot of wall, or an extra-half dozen guards or agents would not have enabled us to respond to that kind of assault.

The minority side lead on the Oversight Committee came back to that statement during his question period. You can read it in the hearing transcript:
Mr. Cummings: I just want to go back to something that you wrote in your statement, Mr. Nordstrom, in reference to the question that the chairman just asked you. And I quote you. I am reading from page 2. You said, ``Having an extra foot of wall or extra half dozen guards or agents would not have enabled us to respond to that kind of assault.''

Did you write that?

Mr. Nordstrom. Yes, I did. And I still believe that.

Mr. Cummings. Thank you.

But back to that misleading impression of HRC's supposed illegality. It concerns whether SecState Clinton did or did not approve a waiver of public law. Hicks wrote:
U.S. law also requires the secretary of state to ensure that all U.S. government personnel assigned to a diplomatic post abroad be located at one site. If not, the secretary — and only the secretary — with the concurrence of the agency head whose personnel will be located at a different location, must issue a waiver. The law, which states specifically that the waiver decision cannot be delegated, was passed after the 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa, when deficient security was blamed for that debacle under Bill Clinton's presidency.

The law in question is the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act (SECCA). As anyone can read for himself in the publicly available online 12 Foreign Affairs Manual 310 (right here), paragraph 313 b says:
For purposes of the application of SECCA, a U.S. diplomatic facility is any chancery, consulate, or other office notified to the host government as diplomatic or consular premises in accordance with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, or otherwise subject to a publicly available bilateral agreement with the host government (contained in the records of the United States Department of State) that recognizes the official status of U.S. Government personnel present at the facility.

So there it is. SECCA applies only to declared diplomatic premises, which neither of the two facilities in Benghazi were, according to the findings of the Benghazi Accountability Board, specifically in its second key finding (" ... the decision to treat Benghazi as a temporary, residential facility, not officially notified to the host government, even though it was also a full time office facility ... resulted in the Special Mission compound being excepted from office facility standards and accountability under the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act ...").

Mr. Hicks is repeating Victoria Toensing’s misguided deduction from testimony at a Benghazi Select Committee hearing, which I posted about before (here). Maybe she knows better, maybe she doesn't. Either way, this is a politically convenient line in an election year, so it won't go away soon, if ever.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

TSB: There are some better pictures out today of Hillary's 9/11 incident which lead me to believe it's not pneumonia and probably a seizure disorder. It also shows how proper secret service protection works in great detail.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-13/former-hillary-secret-service-agent-explains-why-her-fainting-video-really-scares-me
Hillary is propped up against the concrete barrier. When it is time to move her to the van she can't move and her neck arches up. She's not short of breath, she's holding her breath and her knees are locked.
The SS team closes in because of the delay. She isn't wearing the grab belt but when they finally get her lifted her lower legs don't work and her shoe falls off. The author points out that her aides are acting in a coordinated and practiced manner which means they have been through this routine before.

Naturally, Hillary and her doctor knew the 'prodrome symptoms' that precede her seizures well and that signaled her exit from the event. After the seizure was over she was fine again and probably slept for awhile. She probably isn't getting good sleep and is totally paranoid about appearing in public. Also Huma isn't around. good article! gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: A recent "undercover enrollment" investigation conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that pretty much anyone can sign up for Obamacare and receive taxpayer funded incentives without having to worry about pesky little details like proving citizenship, identity or income-based needs. In fact, the study found that every single one of its 15 fictitious Obamacare applications were actually approved for coverage despite intentional application omissions, fictitious identification and citizenship documentation, etc. Moreover, all of the applications were also approved for federal subsidies which totaled $60,000 per year..... Well, that sure seems fair to me in an election year. gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Oh Goody! gwb
Democratic Party says it was hacked again, blames Russians
www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-democrats-idUSKCN11K02T

Anonymous said...

TSB: OK! Dr Noel knows Parkinsons a lot better than I do. It's a movement disorder 1st noticed publicly in 2005 and may explain all that nodding that has driven me crazy over the years as well as the cackling? (He did miss the fact that her doctor was with her all the time though.) Thanks Doc!!gwb

https://youtu.be/q5mYx5oCxEg

Anonymous said...

TSB: Great comments by TYT on Powell emails to Hillary, Jeffrey Leeds show how the establishment insiders make millions by raping and pillaging US taxpayers. (and, incidentally why everyone hates the media) gwb

https://youtu.be/T637qjnYxB4

Anonymous said...

TSB: Juan Cole says:
“This Parrot is no More”: The 2016 Presidential Election did not Take Place with a little help from Monty Python. gwb
http://www.juancole.com/2016/09/parrot-presidential-election.html

Anonymous said...

TSB: More trouble for Isreali Satellites: http://www.debka.com/article/25668/Ofek-11’s-failure-would-hamper-Israel’s-intel-ops

That makes 2 of them in the past 2 weeks. I suspect someone's messing with computers and it ain't us! gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: There seems to be some misunderstanding going on in the 'Joint US-Russian Operations Center' negotiated by Kerry and Lavrov. gwb

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-17/syria-accuses-us-airstrike-killing-62-soldiers-serious-and-blatant-aggression

Anonymous said...

TSB: So who started the 'birther' stuff? According to Dick Morris it was Sid Blumenthal who now has a new job with the Clinton Foundation. gwb

http://www.dickmorris.com/trump-right-clinton-stooge-sid-blumenthal-spread-birther-rumor-2008/#more-18310

Anonymous said...

TSB: Everybody now knows the whole system is rigged thanks to TWO SENATORS: Bernie and Pocahantis. And after the biggest banking scandal ever the CEO was finally taken to task today by one of them after he lied his way through a hearing with questions about how he became the largest stock capitalization bank in the US by throwing his customers and low level employees under the bus with fictitious accounts, charges, and credit agency downgrades. This will not help Hillary with the Bernie Bros. And I notice she cancelled her N.Carolina fundraiser today. Two days in a row is a bit too strenuous for her. gwb

TSB said...

GWB: The birther thing was definitely shopped around by Sid Blumenthal. One of Mclatchy's former editors says he was persuaded to send a reporter to Kenya to try to confirm the story. This is really no secret to anyone who was around DC back in 2008, despite the present loss of memory by Jack Tapper and some other media types.

James said...

TSB:
This memory loss seems to be reeking havoc among the world of journalism surely they can find a cure to this tragedy.

Anonymous said...

TSB: These two even have that great "NEW SCANDAL SMELL" !! gwb

Disgraced Anthony Wiener Sexted, Had Online Relationship With Underage Girl
A 15 year old high school student tells the Daily Mail that Weiner wanted her to "dress up in school-girl outfits" and engage in "rape fantasies"
(I remember when you could get arrested for stuff like this.)

Clinton Foundation's Latest Scandal Involves Payments For "Exclusive Access To New Lime Production" In Haiti
What does the powerful European perfume industry trade group called the Fragrance Foundation and new "exclusive" Haitian limeoil production capacity have in common? If you guessed the "Clinton Foundation" then you're the lucky winner.

Anonymous said...

TSB: Sounds like some black guy in Charlotte made the mistake of pointing a BOOK at the police so they gunned him down. When did they start letting black people have books?? The police chief says he saw the video, didn't actually see a gun but won't release the video. My sources say black lives resources are on the way and it might be a long weekend for Jack Tapper!!!. gwb

Anonymous said...

Oooh Man TSB: The County Chair for Trump in Charlotte said she has live there all her life and there never was any racism until Obama. I these people can't become successful in that amount of time it's their own fault! Then she got message from Trump: YOUR FIRED!

No doubt in my mind she believed every word she was saying. It will be interesting to see the medical history of the 40 yr old disabled guy who was shot in front of his wife. gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: George Soros, $7 million donation to Hillary, Big financier of Ferguson, desperate to distract from Hillaries problems for the debate and aided by the media. gwb
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-22/who-behind-riots-charlotte-police-says-70-arrested-protesters-had-out-state-ids

Anonymous said...

TSB:Jimmy Dore comes through with the witness statements on the Charlotte shooting. This guy drove to the bus stop every day to pick up his kids with a cane and a book! Great Reporting! gwb

https://youtu.be/9ah4HHJ3oeg

Anonymous said...

TSB: Predicting the Chief of Police will resign soon and be followed by the mayor who is close to Hillary. This is cold blooded murder.gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: The 'James Comey Fiasco' is just the latest illustration the FBI is the primary tool of the elites for terrorizing the american people. FBI directors will lie whenever called on to support whatever the elites want. This article reminds us of the 'Hair Evidence Scandal' of the early 2000's where the fibbers imprisoned countless thousands for many years with hairs that supposedly could identify an individual. gwb

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-24/loss-fbi-reputation-irredeemable-james-comey-will-resign

TSB said...

GWB: there is a lot of evidence in the Charlotte incident that supports the police. A pistol was recovered at the scene, the deceased was wearing an ankle holster for it (visible in the body cam video), his DNA traces were on the pistol, photos taken by witnesses show the pistol on the ground next to his body, and his wife's own video catches her yelling "Keith don't you do it" several times when he was getting out of his car (with his hands held in front and his back to the police) and the police were yelling "drop the gun." She said he has TBI, but he also has a prison record for assault with a weapon and (in a separate incident) carrying a pistol illegally. I'm sure more will come, but so far I see no reason to call this one against the police.

It sounds callous, but as a recently retired old friend of mine says: if the police are bothering you, try not breaking the law and see if that helps.

Anonymous said...

TSB: Hillary will be wearing a concealed microphone for the debate if she wants to. That would be a lot more fun if everyone knew she was doing it. It will be interesting to see how Trump handles that issue. gwb

http://www.worldtribune.com/no-ear-mics-allowed-for-presidential-debate-moderators-what-about-the-candidates/

Anonymous said...

TSB: You are probably right about Charlotte. I was thrown off by the media statement that the police were looking for someone else to serve a warrant. Probably the warrant was for him! Looks like I "Jumped The Gun" again! gwb

James said...

I know this is not fair, but the poetic justice is strong here. Recent video of Kerry locking horns with Putin. I shall leave it to the reader to decide who is who:
https://youtu.be/ZPiR8eX2EpU

TSB said...

GWB: the police in Charlotte WERE looking for someone else to serve him with a warrant, when they saw another guy smoking a joint in his car. They ignored him at first, since the warrant was more important, but when they saw him fiddling with a pistol, they got out their raid jackets and ordered him out of the car.

Anonymous said...

OH? THANKS TSB! This from Juan Cole this morning on Aleppo: Arab sources say that since the ceasefire collapsed on Sept. 19, 378 are dead and 1407 wounded.

The siege and the air campaign are surely softening up measures.
At some point the Syrian army, supported by Hizbullah and by a new wave of Iraqi Shiite volunteers, will have to invade East Aleppo and take territory. From what we are seeing, it will be a horrible thing, with tens of thousands of new refugees created and a large civilian death toll. gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB and James: I will be pulling hard for the Trumpster to win tonite in the on-line polling. I'm interested in seeing how many times Hillary mentions Obama (lots) or says Obamacare (zero) or Syria (zero), Libya (zero), drone (zero) because Hillary IS Obama. Establishment loses tonite.gwb

And, watch for that earpiece to fall out!

TSB said...

James: Intellectual humor, indeed. And it's funny how many DC politicians eventually put on that Foghorn Leghorn speech pattern: "Why, I say now, I say ... "

Anonymous said...

TSB: I made it all the way to the end. I like these results. Still predicting Clinton looses the election. gwb
Hillary Clinton
26%
Donald Trump
74%
Change Vote
Votes 360

Anonymous said...

TSB: The Young Turks attribute Trump's stupidity in the debate to his 'attention deficit disorder'. Juan Cole says it was 'the debate that never happened' because there was basically no policy discussion. It was Bernie who made Clinton say she was against TPP. (But Trump can't give anyone credit for anything except himself.)

http://www.juancole.com/2016/09/summer-beings-africa.html
The last Time Summer was this Hot, Human beings hadn’t yet Left Africa
By Juan Cole | Sep. 25, 2016 |

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment)
Summer of 2016 was not only hotter than any summer on record, i.e. since 1880. -snip-This year for the first time in human history, atmospheric carbon dioxide has stayed above 400 parts per million. The last time CO2 was that high was some 3.6 to 2.2. million years ago!

So, we have two candidates who want to flood the world with more coal and oil production only because they dare not go against the energy industry. A year from now people here will be saying they can't get health care AND can't buy food or housing either. And when "THE CYBER" hits we'll see some real chaos. gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Word is that Trump is suddenly getting incredible amounts from small donors a la Bernie Sanders as the "99%" respond to our modern PT Barnum. All he has to do is cut the 'Defense' budget by 50%, since it's mostly a waste anyway and there will be lots of money available for all kinds of things. Cooperating with the Russkies and Chi-Coms sure beats the war we've been threatening them with. I smell a Trump peace deal in the works. gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: The train disaster in Hoboken this morning brings to mind the fact that there is no train system in the world that operates without a massive public subsidy. (It sounds like the the driver had a medical issue and there wasn't any automatic braking system.)

Cenk Ugyur has a great interview with the developer of the Hyperloop train system which will be able to transport people or freight at speeds of 500 or 600 mph with minimal energy costs. Bibop Greta is a brilliant and really funny guy. Of course the neanderthals who run the current railroads will fight this but it looks like the way of the future. gwb
https://youtu.be/VFdcmTYnzL8 (49 minutes)

Anonymous said...

TSB: Your Friday Funnies: Those arrogant, greedy Wells Fargo Banksters are starting to take a few hits thanks to Elizabeth Warren! gwb

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2016/09/28/20160929_wells1.jpg

Anonymous said...

TSB: Today Juan Cole points out that the Russians are running low on bombs,money,fuel and ammunition in Syria and are actually trying to borrow some cash so they can buy some old Belarus missiles to use there.

Also, Robert Fisk reminds us of the French abandonment of the Arab Harkies who proudly fought for the French in Algeria and then were slaughtered when DeGaulle abandoned them in the middle of the night. Now there are some new French Arab Harkies building ships in Egypt for Al Sisi. They are being jailed for asking for higher wages. That's the trouble! You give these people a job and the next thing you know they want to get paid! gwb

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/francois-hollande-apology-algerian-war-absolve-france-arab-harkis-a7337166.html