• Losey Said That Only One Member Of The Special Operations Team Was A Rifleman And His Foot Was In A Cast. “Losey questioned what the four could have done to aid the situation in Benghazi, where American personnel were preparing to evacuate as soon as possible. He said assigning the small team to defend a perimeter wouldn't have been appropriate and would have meant the military's losing its command operation in Tripoli ‘for the benefit of four riflemen who weren't even riflemen.’ ‘The guy's command and control, he's communications, medical,’ Losey recounted. ‘I've got one weapons guy with his foot in a cast. Didn't make a lot of sense.’” [Associated Press, 7/11/14] The Commander Of The Special Operations Team At The Focus Of The Stand Down Theory Agreed That It Was The Right Decision To Stay In Tripoli. “The Special Operations detachment leader's name is omitted from the testimony transcript, but he previously has been identified as Lt. Col. S.E. Gibson. More than a year-and-a-half later, Gibson, who is now a colonel, agreed that staying in Tripoli was the best decision.” [Associated Press, 7/11/14] NOVEMBER 2012: INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS NOTED THAT CIA OPERATIVES IN BENGHAZI MADE DECISIONS ON THE GROUND WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM WASHINGTON November 2012: Senior Intelligence Official: “There Was No Second-Guessing Those Decisions Being Made On The Ground, By People At Every U.S. Organization That Could Play A Role In Assisting Those In Danger.” [Washington Post, 11/1/12] • Intelligence Officials Said Washington Did Not Interfere With The Decisions CIA Operatives Who Were On The Ground Made During The Benghazi Attack. “Instead, U.S. intelligence officials insisted that CIA operatives in Benghazi and Tripoli made decisions rapidly throughout the assault with no interference from Washington.” [Washington Post, 11/1/12] September 2014: New York Times: “American Officials Have Previously Acknowledged That The Central Intelligence Agency Security Team Paused To Try To Enlist Support From Libyan Militia Allies.” [New York Times, 9/4/14] SEPTEMBER 2014: A SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL REITERATED THAT WASHINGTON DID NOT SECOND-GUESS THE DECISIONS CIA OPERATIVES IN BENGHAZI MADE ON THE GROUND A Senior Intelligence Official Noted That There Was An Attempt To Secure Local Support To Defend The Diplomatic Compound And Argued That There Was No Second-Guessing Decisions Made On The Ground. “In an emailed statement on Thursday, a senior intelligence official said ‘a prudent, fast attempt was made to rally local support for the rescue effort and secure heavier weapons.’ The official said ‘there was no second-guessing those decisions being made on the ground’ and ‘there were no orders to anybody to stand down in providing support.’” [New York Times, 9/4/14] REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER ARGUED THAT THE HOUSE AND SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES FOUND NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE CLAIM OF A STAND DOWN ORDER Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger Said The House And Senate Intelligence Committees Found No Evidence To Support The Claim Of A Stand Down Order. “Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) said lawmakers never came across evidence indicating the station chief had told his team to ‘stand down’ and abort a rescue mission. ‘After interviewing these individuals, including those writing the book, and all of the others on the ground that night, both Republicans and Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that there was not, in fact, an order to stand down and no evidence was found to support such a claim,’ he said.” [The Hill, 9/5/14] Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger Said Senior CIA Officials On The Ground In Benghazi Waited To Send The Security Team To Gather Intelligence And Avoid A Potential Ambush. “Contractors and other security officers told the House committee about 25 minutes passed between learning about the attack and the time the commandos departed for their rescue mission, the congressman said. ‘The team said