CIA denies it detained militants in Benghazi

U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012. / CBS News

WASHINGTON The CIA is denying an assertion made by David Petraeus' biographer and girlfriend that the agency held militants in Libya before the Sept. 11 attack.

Play Video

Who is Paula Broadwell?

During a talk last month at the University of Denver, author Paula Broadwell said the CIA had detained people at a secret facility in Benghazi, and the attack on the U.S. Consulate there was an effort to free those prisoners.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order in January 2009 stripping the CIA of its authority to take prisoners.

The move means the CIA can no longer operate secret jails across the globe as it had done under the administration of President George W. Bush.

"The CIA has not had detention authority since January 2009... Any suggestion that the Agency is still in the detention business is uninformed and baseless," CIA spokesman Preston Golson told CBS News.

• Intelligence director urged Petraeus to resign
• Woman targeted by Petraeus' then-lover wants privacy
• Petraeus news hit Feinstein like "lightning bolt"
• Investigation of emails led to discovery of Petraeus' affair
• Timeline: How Benghazi attack, probe unfolded

[KnowYourSubject]

Executive Order 13491:
Section 4(a) CIA Detention. The CIA shall close as expeditiously as possible any detention facilities that it currently operates and shall not operate any such detention facility in the future.
Section 2(g) Definitions. The terms "detention facilities" and "detention facility" in section 4(a) of this order do not refer to facilities used only to hold people on a short-term, transitory basis.

Oh my, the CIA does have detention authority, as long as it is only used "on a short-term, transitory basis."

[tougeaux]

Its been obvious from the beginning this whole ordeal was about getting the CIA Annex not about a 2-bit Consulate attack. And there was likely more treasure there than a couple of prisoners. The Consulate attack was a ruse to expose/compromise the Annex and our guys fell for it.

[matt6052]

She seems to say that they took militia members prisoner during the Consulate attack and that the attack on the Annex was designed to win the freedom of those comrades.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2012/11/12/what-did-broadwell-know.html

I recall hearing that the Libyans captured were turned over to the Libyan government, such as it is.

The key thing with this video clip is that it may show Broadwell with unique access to intelligence information, but it doesn't look all that sensational. She clearly isn't discussing our sale of Soviet-style surface to air missiles to the Syrian rebels, anyway.

[isabelchavarria]

when this country splits, are you going to split the armed forces as well. do you have a plan for when you have to battle them and your countrymen.. this country has been picked apart by the republicans for years,and know when you are not in favor you pull this card.. well you are not only picking a fight in the name of racisim, and you want to call it a holy war.. dems or publics. you both reuined or country, and distroyed the american way of life. so be cauitious on who you pick your fights with

[cubscout09]

It's times like this that I miss the honesty of Jose Rodriguez.

[skullaria-2009]

Ditto.

[Snowballsolarsystem]

We're lucky if the CIA tell the truth to Congressional oversight committees, so their denial of secret prisons in Libya is meaningless.

[Sax1031]

they also said Benghazi was a spontaneous attack because of an anti-islam film.

[john5673]

Obama and his team very cleverly and decisively hid the CIA secret keeping Romney and his cronies to cry too long for the spill milk. After all Chicago has her own reputation too!!!!

[DaSizzle]

So IF any of the CIA action was happening, wouldn't it be classified? And if so, why would the director be spilling beans like that to a biographer. And furthermore, why would the biographer be so brazen as to tell the world?

This reeks on about 17 different levels.

[Miliman]

Of course not it was about the movie, no it wasn't yes it was, no it wasn't. Wait I have to go check on the latest story- Thank goodness for the honesty and ethical behavior and overwhelming transparency from Obama. Whew I was worried there.

[saitozaki]

Let's all of us hope that we get "honesty and ethical behavior from CBS News and the other elements of th'Mainstream Media who're en masse out to protect their dear Obama.

It's impossible for us "publics" to know for sure; th'Media here have us by the shorts; so unless we're sitting along the wall with our note pads behind the closed doors of these briefings, we're in fact pretty helpless in ferreting out real facts.

The CBS of Edward Morrow is gone with the wind.

Caveat emptor in this whole cove-rup-affaire, because now everyone is frantic to cover their as*s. Put yourselves in the "insiders'" places.

This is only the beginning, Dear Readers.