Sharyl Attkisson, a reporter who recently left CBS News over their squelching of her stories, is famous for her unleashing stories on Twitter. Tonight, she did it again.
Former CIA Acting Director Mike Morell was grilled today by the House Intelligence Committee, and Attkisson had a few things to say about his testimony.
You can read her write up here, and her tweets below (which I saved more so I could read them later, but you’re welcome to as well) –
Here’s the evolving history of the Benghazi talking points as documented by previous reporting paired with today’s testimony.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014 /SharylAttkisson/status/451538860166893568
It’s unclear why federal officials seemed so confused and provided so much contradictory info about how the talking points evolved.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014 SharylAttkisson/status/451538934951329792
On Fri. Nov. 16, 2012 CIA Dir. Petraeus told members of Congress the CIA didn’t remove “terrorism” and “al Qaeda.”—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
But today, Morell testified under oath that it was the CIA that removed “al Qaeda” and that he, personally, made other edits.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell didn’t offer this info when asked by Congress in earlier private and public appearances.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
After Petraeus’ Nov. 2012 statement that the CIA didn’t revise the talking points,—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
CIA officials told reporters that the edits were made at a “senior level in the interagency process” …—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
…so as not to tip off al Qaeda as to what the U.S. knew, and to protect sources and methods.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Soon thereafter, another reason was given.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
A source from the Office of the Dir. for National Intel. told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan that ODNI made the edits…—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
…as part of the interagency process because the links to al Qaeda were deemed too “tenuous” to make public.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Then, later in Nov. 2012, Morell provided yet another account. In a meeting w/ Rep. Senators McCain (R-AZ), Graham (R-SC) and Ayotte (R-NH),—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell stated that he believed it was the FBI that removed the references “to prevent compromising an ongoing criminal investigation.”—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
But it was just a matter of hours before there was yet another revision.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
A C.I.A. official contacted Graham & said Morell “misspoke” and that it was, in fact, the CIA, not the FBI, that deleted al Qaeda references—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Today, Morell said, “I got it wrong and said the F.B.I. when in fact the C.I.A. was the one who took it out of the talking points…—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
…I got it mixed up.”—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell says he corrected the record within two to three hours of his Nov. 2012 mistake.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Today, Morell stated that the C.I.A. believed then, and that he still believes, “some of the attackers” were “affiliated with al Qaeda.”—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
That information, too, was edited out of the talking points but Morell said he was not personally responsible for that CIA word change.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
When asked who did, Morell answered, “The group of officers from our office of Congressional affairs and our office of public affairs.”—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
But previously, government public affairs officials had vehemently denied that any federal public affairs officials made edits.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell acknowledged personally removing the word “Islamic” from the phrase “Islamic extremists” in the talking points two reasons:—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
so as not to further inflame passions in the Islamic world and because “what other kind of extremists are there in Libya?”—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
(Just a few more).—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell also acknowledged removing the talking points disclosure that CIA had provided “warnings” to the State Dept. prior to the attacks.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell’s boss, Petraeus, wanted the mention included but Morell deleted them.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell went against his own agency on this point in defense of Secy of State Hillary Clinton’s State Department.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell said he felt the CIA was thumping its chest and unfairly heaping blame on the State Dept.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
No word on why CIA Director Petraeus was subservient to his number two, Morell, on editing the talking points.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
Morell has now been hired by a PR firm operated primarily by former Hillary Clinton and Obama administration officials.—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
And I’ll spare you more on Twitter–but you can read more at sharylattkisson.com/articles.html—
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) April 03, 2014
