House Armed Services Committee Receives Classified Briefing from Col. George Bristol

[bsteadman]

Breaking: House Armed Services Committee Receives Classified Briefing from Col. George Bristol

WILL GOVERNMENT EVER TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THE TRUTH?

The Post & Email
Sharon Rondeau
7/31/2013

View the complete article at:

http://www.thepostemail.com/2013/07/...eorge-bristol/

[bsteadman]

Free Republic is running a thread titled, 'Marine commander (Col George Bristol) says no stand-down order in Benghazi attack', which was started 7/31/2013 by 'xzins'

The thread references a 7/31/2013 UPI article - http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/...5121375252200/

View the complete Free Republic thread at:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3049742/posts

Excerpt:

A Marine operations commander told lawmakers Wednesday he gave troops in Libya permission to respond to a September 2012 attack on a U.S. mission in Tripoli.

Testifying in closed session before the House Armed Services Committee, Col. George Bristol contradicted claims by some congressional Republicans he had issued a stand-down order following the attack, in which U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stephens and three other Americans were killed, The Hill reported.

Bristol, who commanded Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara at the time of the attack, said he gave the Tripoli security team leader, Lt. Col. S.E. Gibson, permission to act freely in response to the attack, The Hill said, citing a description it had received of the committee's members-only briefing.

Gibson told Congress last month he was ordered not to send his team to Benghazi because they were needed in Tripoli in the event of an attack on the U.S. Embassy.

Republicans argue the United States wasn't prepared to respond adequately to the Benghazi attack.

They accuse the Obama administration of downplaying or covering up the administration's handling of the attack, its lead-up and aftermath during the heat of the 2012 presidential campaign.

"Colonel Bristol has experience that could be valuable in deepening our understanding of the events of that day," a committee source told The Hill.

"Of particular interest to the committee is what our posture was in the weeks and months that preceded the attack," the source said.

Bristol, a seasoned combat commander, stepped down from his task force commander post in March.