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Communications breakdown during Libyan terror attack?
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Jennifer Griffin reports from Washington, D.C.
- Duration 4:42
- Date Nov 2, 2012
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Transcript
This transcript is automatically generated
-- -- -- the other big story today new signs of a communications breakdown inside the Obama administration during the hours of living -- terror attack.
Here's what we can tell you emails that were shared with Fox News suggests that top counterterrorism officials felt cut out of the loop.
On the night of those four murders national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin is live at the penthouse Jennifer good morning to you what's the latest here.
The penthouse known as the Pentagon Martha I think good.
Senior counterterrorism officials felt cut out of the loop the night of the attack on the -- Ghazi consulate according to emails that were shared with Fox News.
By military sources who are familiar with the discussions of how to respond the night of the September 11 attack.
Top State Department officials decided not to send an inner agency.
Rapid response unit designed to respond to terrorist attacks known as a -- team.
If for an emergency support team this team from the State Department and CIA.
As a military joint special operations command element to it and has been routinely deployed to assist in investigations for instance.
After the USS Cole bombing and the bombings at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
That team these counterterrorism officials argued could have helped the FBI gain access to the site ending got the faster than the 24 days that it eventually needed the State Department says -- -- team wouldn't have done any good.
National security spokesman Tommy -- gave this explanation quote.
The most senior people in government worked on this issue from the minute it happened.
That includes the secretary of defense chairman of the joint chiefs secretary of state national security advisor -- -- -- Fox News has learned that US military intelligence was reporting.
As early at 7 PM eastern less than four hours after the attack began that am sorry Al Sharia carried out the attack.
The intelligence was relayed to the military with no caveats according to a source familiar with the intelligence.
Further to State Department cable show that Stephen's team.
Warned Washington that at 6:43.
AM in the morning.
They had concerns that members of the Libyan police sent to guard them were photographing the compound quote.
This person was photographing the inside of the US special mission on and furthermore this person was part of the police unit sent to protect the mention.
US intelligence officials confirm to fox that in fact there were reports from the ground ending Ghazi.
Three hours before the attack on the consulate that a Libyan militia.
Was gathering weapons and gathering steam.
That was three hours before the consulate was attacked at 9:47 PM on September 11 where there in practice so much coming out in all of this in -- in large part thanks to you Jennifer.
How has the White House said it why -- that sort of joint counterterrorism.
Effort on his fast.
Was not deployed since it has been deployed in similar situations before.
The White House has not the State Department has given.
An explanation that best is normally used when an embassy communications is compromised and to reestablish communications.
As they needed to do on the ground after the embassy attacks in Africa.
Come and they say because embassy in Tripoli was not compromise they still had a working embassy they didn't feel that they needed the fest team.
So that the State Department says that the -- team would not of helped.
The night of the attack.
But what at what officials that I've spoken to who are familiar with how fast teams work say.
Is -- they really would have been helpful in the days after helping the FBI.
Get on the ground and get access to the consulate where there.
There was still documents lying around -- -- -- -- -- -- -- yet and I report that that someone who was supposed to be helping them.
Was photographing.
The consulate.
Is also very unnerving because it appeared in that early reports that we got -- all of this that they seem to know quite a bit.
About where everybody was including you know the consulate also the other an -- and it raises a lot of questions about whether or not there was an inside job element columnist -- Jennifer.
Well that's right and the other interesting thing that has come out from the CIA timeline that was provided yesterday to reporters.
That fox was not -- in invited to that briefing but.
But the CIA.
Timeline suggests that the quick reaction force that came from Tripoli -- -- has made up of the CIA element got delayed at the airport by.
But for three hours and fifteen minutes while they were waiting for a Libyan escort.
And for vehicles and weapons.
That was a crucial number of hours that that team could've helped the team at the CIA anorexia and majority was part of that team Jennifer thank you very much.
