FOXNews.com: Sources Point to Communication Breakdown During Libya Attack

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Sources Point to Communication Breakdown During Libya Attack Nov 2nd 2012, 07:58 Senior counterterrorism officials felt cut out of the loop the night of the attack on the Benghazi Consulate, according to emails that were shared with Fox News by military sources who are familiar with discussions of how to respond the night of the September 11 attack. Top State Department officials decided not to send an interagency rapid response unit designed to respond to terrorist attacks known as a FEST team, a Foreign Emergency Support Team. This team from the State Department and CIA has 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 argue, could have helped the FBI gain access to the site in Benghazi faster than the 24 days that it eventually needed. "The response process was isolated at the most senior level," according to one intelligence source. "Counterterrorism professionals were not consulted and a decision was taken to send the FBI on its own without the enablers that would have allowed its agents to gain access to the site in Benghazi in a timely manner." The FBI team did not get on the ground in Benghazi for several weeks after the attack and at that point any "evidence" had been rifled through by looters and journalists. "A better response approach could have certainly allowed the FBI to access the site much sooner than the 24 days it would eventually take," a source in the counterterrorism community said.  Further, the Counterterrorism Security Group, or CSG, was never asked to meet that night or in subsequent days, according to two separate counterterrorism officials, as first reported by CBS News. The CSG is comprised of substantive experts on terrorism from across government agencies and make recommendations to the deputies who assist the President's Cabinet in formulating a response to crises involving terrorism. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told Fox, "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, et cetera. Additionally, the Deputies Committee -- the second in command at the relevant national security agencies -- met at least once and more often twice a day to manage the issue." The latest revelations have sparked renewed criticisms from top GOP lawmakers.  "Enough already, Mr. President," Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said in a statement. "You need to address the American people and account for your leadership in the attack on our Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. You should explain to the American people what you knew, when you knew it, and what you did about it before, during and after the attack." Several government spokesmen suggest that the President's top advisers were meeting that night to oversee the response, suggesting the employment of the Counterterrorism Security Group was not necessary. As to why the FEST was not sent, State Department spokesman Philippe Reines responded that "the first thing to know is that it's not a security team. It's primarily a resource that State can send to help restore a facility. Best example is Nairobi after the bombing because the Embassy suffered such significant damage. It couldn't function properly without resuming basic infrastructure needs like communications. In this case, that was not necessary as Embassy Tripoli wasn't impacted and could, as it does today, to function normally."

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