That Crazy Benghazi Conspiracy Theory? It Just Got Less Crazy

In October of 2012, a comment by "Kozy" posited that the Benghazi attack was an "October Surprise". Easily dismissed at the time as some sort of conspiracy nonsense, with each passing day the scenario appears to become more plausible:

• Starting in late March, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz begs the State Department for more security assets. These requests are flatly refused.

• Also early in the year (February, March and April), White House visitor records show several lightly documented -- and possibly confidential -- visits by Hillary Clinton to the White House.

• In May, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz is swapped for Chris Stevens.

• In June, Egyptian President Morsi publicly pledges to secure the release of 'The Blind Sheikh', the extremist cleric responsible for the first World Trade Center attack.

• Also starting in June, Ambassador Stevens' security teams are systematically removed from Libya, despite increasingly urgent requests and dire predictions. By the time of the 9/11 attack, Stevens has not a single personal bodyguard. These stunning actions effectively remove any barriers to the capture of the Ambassador for use as a hostage.

• Back-channel communications between the White House and the Blind Shiekh's legal representatives confirm that a swap can be achieved with a high-level hostage exchange. The Sheikh's cronies are informed that Ambassador Stevens has no security in Benghazi. So the Sheikh could be secured through a trade after capturing Stevens who has had his security teams completely stripped away.

• Someone -- it is not clear who -- arranges a meeting between Stevens and Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akinin in Benghazi, not Tripoli, late in the evening of 9/11. It is during this meeting that terrorist checkpoints are established around the compound. The terrorists know precisely where Stevens is and are prepared logistically to capture him.

• The initial attack involves only small arms fire. A fire was later used to smoke out the Ambassador from a safe room. In other words, the lack of RPG and mortar rounds during the initial attack means it is highly likely that the operation was a "smash and grab" designed to capture the Ambassador, not assassinate him. RPGs were only used later at the annex, hours later, after Stevens was known KIA.

• During the initial attack, a video shot via camera phone records men yelling "Don’t Shoot us! We were sent by Mursi!"

Hostage swap

Under this operating theory, had all gone according to plan, the Obama administration would have secretly facilitated the capture of Ambassador Stevens. This would have permitted Obama to safely trade the Ambassador through the release of the Blind Sheikh. All of this would occur, of course, just before the election. Obama would take very public credit for Stevens' safe return as well as a newly strengthened relationship with Egypt's Morsi.

Photo ops featuring Obama and Stevens would be splashed along the campaign trail, ostensibly solidifying the president's foreign policy qualifications.

Sound too farfetched? Consider the following unanswered unanswered questions:

• Why did State repeatedly deny requests for more security in Benghazi, despite increasingly dire predictions? Instead, State completely stripped security from Stevens. No credible explanation has been offered for the removal of security by the White House or the State Department. It has been confirmed that the budget excuse proffered by State was completely false.

• Who arranged Stevens' meeting with Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akinin in Benghazi, not Tripoli, so late in the evening?

• Why on 9/11 -- of all dates -- was there no special security posture ordered in diplomatic installations around the Middle East?

• Why did so many people in the administration publicly lie about the nature of the attack when it was clear from the onset that it was an organized attack by terrorists?

• Why did the president go to sleep after getting word of the attack?

• Why did he reportedly refuse security briefings in the aftermath of the attack, instead simply departing for a fundraiser in Las Vegas?


The theory being: the President didn't need to stay awake after hearing of the attack. He didn't need any briefings. He knew exactly what had happened.

A review of the Complete Benghazi Timeline makes some of these anomalies apparent. It's high time for a special prosecutor and a full, Watergate-style investigation into this madness.


Hat tips: Wanda and MOTUS.