So Much for the Benghazi Investigation

Benghazi Survivors Forced to Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements

Congressman Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, said today on the House floor that survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements:

"On Tuesday I raised the question of why none of the Benghazi survivors, whether State Department, CIA, or private security contract employees have testified publicly before Congress," said Wolf.

"According to trusted sources that have contacted my office, many if not all of the survivors of the Benghazi attacks along with others at the Department of Defense, the CIA have been asked or directed to sign additional non-disclosure agreements about their involvement in the Benghazi attacks. Some of these new NDAs, as they call them, I have been told were signed as recently as this summer."

It's hard to imagine how an independent investigation of the Benghazi attack can proceed if most or all of the relevant witnesses are prevented from testifying by government edict.

But not to worry, I'm sure the flaks at the Whitehouse and DOD have been telling us the truth... Oh wait...

Despite Pentagon claims, Marine colonel sought in Benghazi investigation not yet retired

When insurgents attacked the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, last fall, Col. George Bristol held a key post in the region. As commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara, he was in a position to know what options the U.S. had to protect Americans under fire.

...Several U.S. officials have testified before Congress since — but not Bristol, a salty Marine whose task force was responsible for special operations in northern and western Africa...


“Col. Bristol was not invited by Congress to testify before he retired,” said Air Force Maj. Robert Firman, a spokesman with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. “The DoD has cooperated fully with Congress and the Accountability Review Board since the beginning of this investigation, and we will continue to do so.”

That isn’t the case, however. While Bristol is preparing for retirement, he is on active duty through the end of July, said Maj. Shawn Haney, a Marine spokeswoman, on Wednesday. He will be placed on the inactive list on Aug. 1, she said. That contradicts statements that Pentagon officials have issued to both Congress and the media.

Once he's retired, they'll probably force him to sign the non-disclosure agreement as a condition of his pension.

One last thought from Ann Altouse:

I have to scoff.

Who didn't already know within a couple weeks of the the attack that the statements about how there would be an "investigation" meant we need you to stop talking about this until everyone forgets?

That's my question.

And: Why did so many journalists and politicians submit to the "investigation" gag?

 They did, Ann, they did; and that's a large part of the problem.