Ambassador warned Libya was "volatile and violent"

U.S. envoy Christopher Stevens attends meetings at the Tibesty Hotel, where an African Union delegation was meeting with opposition leaders in Benghazi, Libya, April 11, 2011. / AP Photo

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens warned the State Department of "unpredictable, volatile and violent" security conditions in Libya a month before the deadly assault that killed him and three other Americans, according to cables congressional Republicans sent the White House Friday.

The cables were included among 166 documents and a letter House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz sent President Obama asking for more information about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"The security condition in Libya remains unpredictable, volatile, and violent," Stevens wrote in an Aug. 2 cable.

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Stevens sent the cable to request an additional 11 bodyguards at the U.S. Embassy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. In a July 9 cable, he noted that conditions in the country hadn't met "benchmarks" to reduce American security personnel.

"Host nation security support is lacking and cannot be depended on to provide a safe and secure environment for the diplomatic mission of outreach," Stevens wrote in the Aug. 2 cable.

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House opens hearing on consulate attack

The Obama administration has come under criticism from Republicans that the consulate wasn't provided with enough security, an assertion backed by security officials who testified on Capitol Hill earlier this month that they asked for more protection at the site.

A June 25 cable noted that, according to local contacts, "Islamic extremism" appeared to be on the rise in the eastern region of Libya, which includes Benghazi, and that al Qaeda's flag "has been spotted several times flying over government buildings and training facilities."

On the day of the attack at the consulate, Stevens sent a cable reporting that senior Interior Ministry officials had recently ended a "state of maximum alert" in Benghazi. The alert was raised to address fears of potential strikes by loyalists of Muammar Qaddafi for the Sept. 1 anniversary of his rise to power in 1969.

An Aug. 20 cable signed by another official showed that conditions in Benghazi were unsafe outside of the threats posed by the Qaddafi anniversary. The cable reported an incident involving a women's rights activist briefly detained by a militia.

"For the first time since the revolution, I am scared," the activist told consulate staff, according to the cable. "How can we be the commercial capital if we can't keep our streets safe?"

Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), two of the congressmen who have been vocal in their critique of the Obama administration's handling of the situation, also called the U.S. military's response during the attack to be "inadequate."

In a statement released Friday, they said they were told by Department of Defense officials that a surveillance drone was repositioned and a reconnaissance aircraft was sent, but there were no land forces available "on a day of heightened concern for American interests" and no effort to use fighter aircraft.

[JimArs13]

Every news article before states the White House was getting mixed reports of the account. Remember embassies being stormed the same day over the protests http://mashable.com/2012/09/13/youtube-protests-spread/ . Any one that believes the Obama administration thought they could hide the accounts of the Libyan attack for two months is delusional. The day after the Libyan attach Romney was lying about Obama apologizing to the museums after the attack. Romney got corrected during the second debate while lying about where Obama was and what he said. http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/romneys-libya-problem/ Romney has shown he has not problem lying to America and is sick how he is using the death of Americans to try to gain political points. We are in big trouble if a man with this little integrity and lack of character actually gets elected. Wonder why Romney has has been quite on Libya since getting caught in a lie during the second debate ? From what I have read the criticism is from not having the drone there in time and then people say they where watching the attack in real time with the same drone?

[fiddlestickawshucks]

FACE IT.

Obama sucks.!!!!!

[pbarber12]

The Bush administration was warned about the Sept 11th event. The President wasn't ever criticized. The news media needs to stop this unfairness. We have had many embassy personnel killed over the years. I have never seen the likes from this from the media, let alone a Presidential candidate. You would think Romney is afraid of Ms. Clinton. Maybe he is. She just might beat him in the next election. At least she has foreign experience. He doesn't. So, tell me, who is more Presidential material?

Here is a list of the embassies on warning status as of today:
Tunisia 10/19/2012
Colombia 10/03/2012
Pakistan 09/19/2012
Lebanon 09/17/2012
Sudan 09/15/2012
Algeria 09/13/2012
Libya 09/12/2012
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 09/11/2012
Republic of South Sudan 09/10/2012
Guinea 09/07/2012
Mali 08/29/2012
Syria 08/28/2012
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza 08/10/2012
Iraq 08/09/2012
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 08/02/2012
Central African Republic 07/11/2012
Kenya 07/05/2012
Afghanistan 06/27/2012
Nigeria 06/21/2012
Haiti 06/18/2012
Somalia 06/15/2012
Philippines 06/14/2012
Mauritania 05/24/2012
Saudi Arabia 05/18/2012
Iran 04/27/2012
Cote d'Ivoire 04/23/2012
Burundi 04/18/2012
Eritrea 04/18/2012
Mali 04/09/2012
Niger 04/06/2012
Chad 03/29/2012
Yemen 03/27/2012
Mexico 02/08/2012

[bwlewis1964]

The Repubs are using this event to gain politcal points. These
are the same folks who re-elected Bush.

[DaddyofFive]

"Many embassy people killed over the years?" Pretty sure the last was in like 1979. Even if that were true, does that mean we should pooh-pooh this incident? I'm thankful that we now have official diplomatic cables indicating the embassy requested additional security through official channels. This is not a political issue per se, but in this case it is the responsibility of the State Department, and, by extension, the president. I would strongly disagree with you idea that this is some sort of media attack. Any event in which four Americans die should be covered, investigated and reported on, regardless of who is in the White House. If the White House's mismanagement of this issue causes them to lose votes, so be it...that's why we have elections.

[ConcernedFatherii]

The article that followed this by showing the Presidents response in the Rose Garden only showed the first few lines were he referred to this as a terror attack in a general statement only shows how even CBS is trying to pull the wool over the American public. The rest of His speech which made my son & I think it was a mere crowd control issue over a protest of the Islam video. I hope the rest of America will stand up and finally protest over the biased and unprofessional journalism and we the public are not idiots that they obviously think we are; that we can not remember what the White House tried to get away with.

[Nmarcus]

Concernedfather is correct. The press, including CBS, has failed the test of objectivity -- or its response to the ambassodor's murder is evidence of very poor reporting. The facts strongly support the conclusion that Obama and/or Biden instructed Clinton, Rice and Carney to misrepresent, to the American public, the facts regarding the attack and murder. At the time that these 3 persons and Obama told the public that the Americans were killed as a result of a spontaneous demonstration in response to a utube video, they had strong evidence that the attack was a preplanned terrorist attack and had no evidence that the attack was the result of a spontaneous demonstration.

[matt6052]

That was their guy. Politically and socially correct in every way. When he needed better security, they ignored his repeated requests.

We take care of our own
We take care of our own
Wherever this flag's flown
We take care of our own

[Jesus_to_ground_control]

Pathetic.

What do you expect when Americans don't even take care of their own poor and second class citizens.

[ThrowObummerOut]

SHAME ON OBAMA, CLINTON & RICE for their continuous LIES and DECEPTIONS. All three of them have brought DISGRACE to the presidency and to this administration. TIME FOR CHANGE!

[SuKeCe]

We have military service people killed with ongoing wars. We had civilians killed in the World Trade disaster. All acts of terror, silenced by the government. We had our privacy invaded by the Bush Administration, Guantonomo was opened for business, pushing International Laws by the Bush Administration. How is an attack in Libya different in current times? Why aren't you upset that we didn't get answers to previous acts immediately? Could it be that crimes against the US are messy and take time to resolve?

Do you think Bush Administration was NOT warned of a pending attack on US soil? Really? Do you think we went to war NOT thinking killing is involved? Why can you agree to the previous administration, but the "clean up" needed in the current administration takes the blame for all?

Does the President budget for more security protection and then get discretion, or does Congress? Hmmm...could it be that the current administration was not allowed more money by Congress to send more help?

I don't think we're at the bottom of this act in Libya.
In the meantime, I don't think it's helpful to simply want a change, when you really don't even know what it takes to correct any of the world issues.

[TimeToEvolve]

The fact is that almost where ever the US is involved overseas is a violent and dangerous place. Especially the places we are in since the disastrous Bush Doctrine.

A story like this can only come from the violent and frightened right wing corporate media, let's face it.

[TimeToEvolve]

The fact is that almost where ever the US is involved overseas is a violent and dangerous place. Especially the places we are in since the disastrous Bush Doctrine.

A story like this can only come from the violent and frightened right wing corporate media, let's face it.

[jacktar7]

If it indeed became clear only in the aftermath that this was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack, then it couldn't have been clear in the beginning that the attack was prompted by an Internet video. Yet even days later our Ambassador to the United Nations was saying that the "available evidence" indicated that the attack was a response to the video. WHAT evidence??? There wasn't any!!! The President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations made the country look foolish and weak by publicly providing some justification for the attack and the murder of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya by blaming it all on rage created by an insensitive film producer. The statements were shameful and a national disgrace.

[TimeToEvolve]

I don't follow your reasoniong. Must be listening to Fox Keep You Stupid Channel. They are the only "news"that could make up this kind of garbage. And have people actually listen. Amazing.

[fiddlestickawshucks]

GOOD ONE AND ALSO TOO TRUE.!!

[24lomas]

Obama said one day after the attack it was due to the you tube video. Hillary Clinton said the same as well. They are liars.

Let's vote for Mitt Romney. The United States is in the toilet. Obama must be defeated on 11 6 12. If Obama is reelected, this country will continue with high unemployment, more than 9%. Remember, doctors and CEOs do not support the health care law. Obama must go.

[bwlewis1964]

Let's vote for a used car salesman! Romney well say and do
anything to get elected.