"In a bombshell interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier aired last week, the three members of the annex security team, whose credibility was etched in blood on that rooftop that fateful night, say they had a team assembled and were ready to proceed to the besieged consulate within five minutes of notice of the attack. They were held back by the top CIA security officer in Benghazi, they say, an officer identified only as "Bob."
"It had probably been 15 minutes, I think, and ... I just said 'Hey, you know, we gotta — we need to get over there, we're losing the initiative,'" Tiegen told Baier in the interview. "And Bob just looks at me and said, 'Stand down, you need to wait.'"
Why "Bob" gave that order or whether he was just passing on orders from superiors was not discussed, although it is a crucial question that makes a big difference in the true narrative of that night. After 30 minutes of waiting, Tiegen and the security team headed for the consulate while asking for air support, any kind of air support, even an F-16 buzzing the compound.
Paronto said that without the delay, "Ambassador Stevens and Sean (Smith), yeah, they would still be alive, my gut is yes," adding that "I strongly believe that if we left immediately, they'd still be alive today."
There was even a second stand-down order, according to the trio in their book, "13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi," written with Mitchell Zuckoff. After Tiegen insisted they had to leave right away, "Bob" told them to "hold up" because "we're going to let the local militia handle it." It was an incredible order, one telling Americans not to rescue Americans."
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"It had probably been 15 minutes, I think, and ... I just said 'Hey, you know, we gotta — we need to get over there, we're losing the initiative,'" Tiegen told Baier in the interview. "And Bob just looks at me and said, 'Stand down, you need to wait.'"
Why "Bob" gave that order or whether he was just passing on orders from superiors was not discussed, although it is a crucial question that makes a big difference in the true narrative of that night. After 30 minutes of waiting, Tiegen and the security team headed for the consulate while asking for air support, any kind of air support, even an F-16 buzzing the compound.
Paronto said that without the delay, "Ambassador Stevens and Sean (Smith), yeah, they would still be alive, my gut is yes," adding that "I strongly believe that if we left immediately, they'd still be alive today."
There was even a second stand-down order, according to the trio in their book, "13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi," written with Mitchell Zuckoff. After Tiegen insisted they had to leave right away, "Bob" told them to "hold up" because "we're going to let the local militia handle it." It was an incredible order, one telling Americans not to rescue Americans."
Read More At Investor's Business Daily: Benghazi CIA Annex Security Team Says There Was A Stand-Down Order - Investors.com
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