FBI investigators make brief visit to Benghazi attack site after weeks-long delay

FBI agents made a brief visit to Benghazi this week to examine the scene of the consulate terror attack that killed four Americans -- after being delayed for weeks because of security concerns. 

Fox News confirms that the FBI team, which had been held up for weeks getting into the eastern Libya city, arrived in Benghazi to gather evidence and has since left. 

"The FBI continues to coordinate with the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, and Defense, as well as the Libyan government, and other agencies in furtherance of the investigation into the deaths of Ambassador Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Tyrone Woods," the FBI said in a statement. "As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further information to provide."

A Libyan official told AFP that the team worked for three hours collecting evidence. 

As the FBI investigates, an independent panel has been established by the State Department to review what went wrong. That review, though, could take months and U.S. lawmakers were starting to express frustration after their requests for more information were rebuffed as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged lawmakers to wait for the conclusion of an internal review. 

Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., on Wednesday renewed their demand for documents after Clinton declined to hand over the cables they initially requested. The House Intelligence Committee has not received any documents from the department either, Fox News has learned. 

"We hope that in the next few days you follow through with transmitting information requested by members of Congress," Corker and Isakson wrote in a letter to Clinton. "In particular, we renew our request for all communications between the diplomatic mission in Libya and the State Department related to the security situation to be transmitted to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee without delay." 

Clinton raised concerns among some Republican lawmakers that she was pushing off the review's conclusions until after the election, as she named a five-member "Accountability Review Board" to examine the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. 

"No one wants to determine what happened that night in Benghazi more than the president and I do. No one is more committed to ensuring it doesn't happen again, and nobody will hold this department more accountable than we hold ourselves because we serve with and we knew the four men we lost," Clinton said Wednesday. 

But she did not address specific allegations that diplomats had warned in advance of security concerns. 

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is planning to hold a hearing on Oct. 10. In a letter to Clinton on Wednesday, Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked that the department provide two witnesses -- Eric Nordstrom, who was stationed in Libya until June, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs Charlene Lamb, a Washington official involved in reviewing security requests. 

The hearing comes as the department's review is just getting underway. Among those on the panel are Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired U.S. Ambassador Thomas Pickering, who served as America's top diplomat in several countries.
Language published in the Federal Register this week declared that the board will submit its findings "within 60 days of its first meeting, unless the Chair determines a need for additional time." 

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, expressed concern that the State Department's findings would be pushed off until "after the election." 

"There are clear signs that (there were) security concerns in Libya and other embassies around the world, and what they were doing is diminishing security in the name of normalizing relations," Chaffetz told Fox News. 

Issa and Chaffetz, in an earlier letter to Clinton, detailed several attacks in Benghazi in the lead-up to the strike that they suggested should have been warning signs. 

Further, they claimed sources told them that diplomats made "repeated requests" for additional security but were denied. 

New signs also were emerging this week that officials were receiving guidance that the attack was coordinated in the immediate aftermath of the strike despite public comments to the contrary. 

The New York Times, which first reported that the U.S. was tracking suspects, reported that, according to one official, spy agencies were intercepting communications from militant Ansar al-Shariah fighters boasting to someone with an Al Qaeda affiliate. 

Reuters also reported that the Obama administration had "about a dozen" intelligence reports within hours of the attack suggesting Al Qaeda-tied militants were involved. 

Fox News reported last week that intelligence officials were picking up that it was a terror strike within 24 hours. 

Still, top administration officials in the week after the attack insisted it was a "spontaneous" reaction to protests over an anti-Islam film. That film was driving demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa, but lawmakers and others were saying from the start that Libya was a different situation despite the initial claims of the Obama administration. 

Fox News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More

Corker calls Obama administration's Libya response 'bizarre,' joins fellow Republicans in wanting answers

Sen. Bob Corker has joined fellow congressional Republicans in calling for more and complete answers about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya -- where four Americans were killed – calling the administration’s response so far “bizarre.”

Corker, R-Tenn., sent a letter this weekend to National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper Jr., who last week took responsibility for the administration originally calling the Sept. 11 strike in Benghazi, Libya, a “spontaneous” response to an anti-Islamic movie trailer and not a pre-planned or terrorist attack.  

“It seems that with each passing day, the situation surrounding the administration’s response to the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya becomes more bizarre. The United States Congress and the American people are still waiting to get straight answers,” Corker wrote in the letter dated Sept. 29.

Clapper on Friday called the strike a “deliberate and carefully planned terrorist attack.”

The administration’s responses on Sept. 16 came from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, whom the administration has repeatedly said gave answers based on the best information available.

Still, Rep. Peter King, the New York Republican who heads the House Homeland Security Committee, on Friday called for Rice to resign over her "misleading" statements.

Corker also joins in the growing concern about whether the consulate, as well as U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and the three other Americans killed, had adequate security and why FBI investigators have yet to reach the crime scene.

“Yet just 18 days ago the administration apparently judged that it was appropriate for our consulate to be lightly guarded and it was safe for our ambassador to come through the city with a small security detail,” Corker wrote. “What has changed in Libya in such a short time that even FBI agents, our most elite investigative personnel, cannot safely enter the city? What has led to such a precipitous decline?”

Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham  (S.C.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Ron Johnson (Wis.), also sent letters last week demanding more detailed answers, including one to Rice seeking clarification on her statements.

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More

Afghan inside attack kills 2 Americans, 2 Afghans, marking 2,000 US troop deaths

An Afghan soldier turned his gun on American troops at a checkpoint in the country's east, killing two Americans and at least two fellow members of Afghanistan's army in a shooting that marked both the continuance of a disturbing trend of insider attacks and the 2,000th U.S. troop death in the long-running war, officials said Sunday.

The string of insider attacks is one of the greatest threats to NATO's mission in the country, endangering a partnership key to training up Afghan security forces and withdrawing international troops.

Saturday's shooting took place at an Afghan army checkpoint just outside a joint U.S.-Afghan base in Wardak province, said Shahidullah Shahid, a provincial government spokesman.

"Initial reports indicate that a misunderstanding happened between Afghan army soldiers and American soldiers," Shahid said. He said investigators had been sent to the site to try to figure out what happened.

An Afghan official speaking on condition of anonymity said three Afghan soldiers were killed in the clash. It was not clear if the assailant was among the dead.

The attack happened about 5 p.m. in Sayd Abad district, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said in an emailed statement. He did not provide further details, saying he would wait for a report from investigators.

NATO forces announced the assault early Sunday morning, saying only that it was "suspected insider attack" and that a NATO service member and civilian contractor were killed.

One U.S. official confirmed that the service member killed was American, while another confirmed that the civilian was also American. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the nationality of the dead had not yet been formally announced.

Afghan soldiers and policemen -- or militants in their uniforms -- have gunned down more than 50 foreign troops so far this year, eroding the trust between coalition forces and their Afghan partners. An equal number of Afghan policemen and soldiers also died in these attacks, giving them reason as well to be suspicious of possible infiltrators within their ranks.

The attacks are taking a toll on the partnership between international and Afghan forces, prompting the U.S. military to restrict operations with small-sized Afghan units earlier this month.

The close contact -- with coalition forces working side by side with Afghan troops as advisers, mentors and trainers -- is a key part of the U.S. strategy for preparing the Afghans to take the lead in security operations as the U.S. and other nations prepare to pull out their last combat troops at the end of 2014, just 27 months away.

The number of American military dead reflects an Associated Press count of those members of the armed services killed inside Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion on Oct. 7, 2001.

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More

Viral video touting free 'Obama phone' puts spotlight on federal program

A viral video of an Obama supporter touting her “Obama phone” has put the spotlight on an obscure federal program that provides discounted phone service to qualifying low-income Americans.

“Keep Obama as president,” the animated woman says on the video. “He gave us a phone.”

The video is drawing attention to the government program — Lifeline — as a national debate unfolds on entitlements and the growing percentage of Americans who pay no income taxes and get a long menu of government benefits. But even though some beneficiaries may credit President Obama for providing the phones, Lifeline is an extension of a program that has existed since 1985. Still, critics including Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., note the program has swelled from $772 million in 2008 to $1.6 billion.

“It's a government-run, taxpayer-funded program that's running wild and costing more and more,” reads Griffin’s official House of Representatives website.

Private carriers who contract with the government, including TracPhone and Sprint, have websites intended to publicize the program. Some attempt to dispel the program’s connection to the president, such as freegovernmentcellphones.net, while others, including obamaphone.net, embrace it.

“The free Obama phone is an important program, especially for low income families that would otherwise not have access to basic communications,” the homepage of obamaphone.net reads.

The site does, however, clarify that Obama did not start the program and that there's no such thing as an "Obama phone."

"It’s true that government provides free cellphones to the poor and disabled people," the site reads. "But the Obama part is not true as Obama didn’t initiate this program. It’s on the run [sic] since the administration of Reagan."

Griffin, who introduced H.R. 3481 in November to end the program, claims to have evidence of dead people getting free cell phones in the mail, ineligible people getting multiple phones and electronic kiosks in convenience stores to encourage people to get the phones.

“The truth is, though, that taxpayers are footing the bill,” the website reads. “The program is called Lifeline, but in reality it's turned into Uncle Sam's Unlimited Plan.”

Lifeline was originally envisioned as a means of subsidizing landline phone service for poor Americans, paid for with an extra charge on phone bills. To participate in the program, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), consumers must either have an income that is at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or participate in a number of assistance programs, including Medicaid, Head Start or Supplemental Security Income. In 2008, the plan was extended to supply cellphones and cellular service as many Americans began using those devices as their primary telephone.

“It's a government-run, taxpayer-funded program that's running wild and costing more and more."

- Rep. Tim Griffin

The program, according to FCC officials, has helped tens of millions of low-income Americans afford basic phone service, which is essential to finding a job or getting help during an emergency. To that end, the percentage of low-income households with phone service has increased from 80 percent in 1985 when the program began to nearly 92 percent in 2011.

A message seeking comment from White House officials on the federal program was not returned Friday.

A family of four with an income of about $30,000 can qualify for a subsidized line, according to Bloomberg News. The program is available to consumers in every state, territory, commonwealth and on tribal lands.

In 2008, there were 7.1 million Lifeline accounts nationwide. There are 12.5 million today, according to Bloomberg News. About half of those are mobile phones sold by Miami-based TracFone, Sprint and hundreds of smaller regional companies. The government pays those carriers up to $10 per month for each program subscriber. Users, in turn, get free phones and 250 minutes of monthly airtime.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., received a mailed solicitation last year informing her she was eligible for a phone, leading her to question the program.

“I am troubled by the expansive potential for the program to be abused," McCaskill wrote the FCC in December.

The FCC, meanwhile, announced in July that comprehensive reforms to the program had saved nearly $43 million and were on track to save $200 million in 2012. The reforms included eliminating unnecessary subsidies, cutting off duplicative subscriptions and requiring better proof of eligibility.  

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More

Libyan President el-Megarif reportedly eyes Al Qaeda in 'preplanned' attack on US consulate

Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif said he believes Al Qaeda is responsible for the deadly attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans and said roughly 50 people have arrested in connection with the violence, according to two broadcast interviews Sunday.

Megarif, president of the Libyan National Congress, also reportedly differed with the Obama administration’s position that the attacks Tuesday were sparked by an anti-Islamic video on the Internet.

In an interview with NPR, Megarif said foreigners have been infiltrating his country over the past few months, which has been undergoing major changes since the uprising against the late dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi. 

Megarif says the attackers, who he believes are connected to Al Qaeda, used the protests at the consulate as a cover to attack the U.S. Consulate on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"We firmly believe that this was a precalculated, preplanned attack that was carried out specifically to attack the U.S. Consulate," Megarif told NPR.

U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other U.S. staffers were killed in the attacks.

"Our friend and friend of all Libyans and all residents of Benghazi and we feel very, very, very," deep sadness, Megarif told NPR.

Megarif said in a separate interview with CBS News that Libyan authorities have arrested about 50 people in connection with the attack.

The Americans were killed when attackers fired on the U.S. consulate with rocket-propelled grenades and set it on fire.

Megarif said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that "a few" of those who joined in the attack were foreigners, who had entered Libya "from different directions, some of them definitely from Mali and Algeria."

"The others are affiliates and maybe sympathizers," he added in the CBS interview.

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More

Obama team tweets campaign message on 9/11 anniversary, day bodies returned from Libya

President Obama and his re-election team marked the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks and events related to the killing of four Americans abroad that day with a slate of official and somber events. But they also took to Twitter for some campaign business on both days.

"The election is in eight weeks. Sign up to volunteer," reads the first tweet, on Wednesday, the 11th anniversary of the deadly attacks, from @BarackObama.

The tweet went out at 7:07 a.m. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama then appeared on the White House South Lawn and bowed their heads at 8:46 a.m. --  the exact time the first hijacked plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The event was followed by the president and first lady laying a wreath at the Pentagon, where the third plane struck.

The Obama campaign declined to comment Saturday for this story.

The second tweet, about a sale of Obama apparel, was posted Friday, about 30 minutes before Obama arrived at Andrews Air Force Base to welcome home the bodies of the four Americans – including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens -- killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

"You would expect nothing less from a president whose priorities have been misplaced ever since he came to office," Paul Lindsay, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Saturday.

The second tweet read: "Winter is coming, but these sweatshirts are perfect for fall."

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More

Most vulnerable casualty of DC tax battle may be orphans, foster kids

Amid talk of the “fiscal cliff” and how much wealthier Americans should pay the government, not much attention has been paid to the most vulnerable class of tax code casualties: orphans and foster kids desperately hoping to be placed in loving homes.

But among the so-called Bush tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year is a one-time adoption tax credit that can give families nearly $13,000 in aid for taking in a parentless child. Advocates fear that if the tax credit is not renewed, tens or even hundreds of thousands of kids will be left to fend for themselves.

“I wish the discussion of all the different taxes did not include this particular tax issue. It is support to families that are adopting, and doesn’t belong in the political mix.”

- Joe Kroll, executive director, North American Council on Adoptable Children

"Without the tax credit, thousands of parents who could not afford to do adoption would just simply not be able to adopt children," said Bill Blacquiere of Grand Rapids, Mich.,-based Bethany Christian Services.

The tax incentive, first written onto the Internal Revenue Service books in 1997, allows people who want to adopt children but don’t have the financial means to take in kids who might otherwise grow up in foster homes.

According to the National Council for Adoption, there are more than 100,000 children in foster care in the U.S., and millions more orphaned and abandoned children around the world. Cutting the tax credit for adopting these children will mean far fewer find homes, say advocates. The council has started a website, savetheadoptiontaxcredit.com, with the hope of building support for making it a permanent part of the tax code.

While both parties in Washington, as well as the White House, appear to support the adoption tax credit, the standoff over renewing a much broader package of tax cuts could doom it. Democrats want to make renewing the Bush tax cuts contingent on raising income taxes for people earning $250,000, while Republicans are adamantly opposed to anything that raises taxes above current levels.

Unless Congress acts to extend this tax credit, on Jan. 1, 2013, the only credit for adopting will apply to parents who take in special needs children from within the U.S. — and that credit will be for just $6,000.

The adoption tax credit, which adjusts annually for inflation, is $12,650 this year, down $710 from 2011. But what really hurts families with big hearts and tight budgets is that the credit is no longer refundable, according to Bankrate.com. That means it can help lower the tax bill, but once expenses are covered no excess credit can be claimed as a tax refund. That especially hurts poor families who may have little or no tax liability.

The National Council for Adoption wants to not only save the credit, but make it refundable, as it was in 2010 and 2011.

Joe Kroll, executive director of the North American Council on Adoptable Children, cited the case of the case of Todd and Mary Hankel, of St. Croix Fall, Wisc., as an example of how important it can be to be able to claim adoption expenses as a refund and not simply a credit. When seven siblings from a troubled Twin Cities family were put up for adoption in 2006, the Hankels stepped forward to adopt all seven in order to keep the kids together.

They were able to carry forward the tax credit against their expenses — which included building an addition on their house — until 2010, when the tax break became refundable and they got a check that helped them pay off a mortgage for the addition.

The Hankels are not wealthy, said Kroll, and neither are most people who make the decision to take in foster children.

“When you look at the numbers, you see that folks under $100,000 make up the bulk of the adoptions,” Kroll said. “It’s stunning how many families at lower income levels are adopting children.”

That’s why Kroll wishes the heated political debate about the Bush tax cuts did not include an incentive for helping otherwise helpless kids.

“I wish the discussion of all the different taxes did not include this particular tax issue,” Kroll said. “It is support to families that are adopting, and doesn’t belong in the political mix.”

Source : foxnews[dot]com Read More