New York Times Reporter on Benghazi: ‘No Chance This Was an al Qaeda Attack’

KIRKPATRICK I ve talked ░░░░░░░░ some of the people ░░░░░░░░ I believe were lead ░░░░░░░░ and it s just ░░░░░░░░ s just obvious from ░░░░░░░░ and the people around ░░░░░░░░ they re they re ░░░░░░░░ local people Their their ░░░░░░░░ are known their records ░░░░░░░░ known when they were ░░░░░░░░ prison who they hung ░░░░░░░░ with in prison who ░░░░░░░░ associations are There is ░░░░░░░░ no chance that this ░░░░░░░░ an al Qaeda attack ░░░░░░░░ by al Qaeda you ░░░░░░░░ the organization founded by ░░░░░░░░ bin Laden Now I ░░░░░░░░ tried to understand some ░░░░░░░░ the statements coming out ░░░░░░░░ United States Congress blaming ░░░░░░░░ Qaeda for this and ░░░░░░░░ only way that they ░░░░░░░░ sense to me is ░░░░░░░░ you re using the ░░░░░░░░ al Qaeda a little ░░░░░░░░ If you re using ░░░░░░░░ term al Qaeda to ░░░░░░░░ even a local group ░░░░░░░░ Islamist militants who may ░░░░░░░░ democracy or have a ░░░░░░░░ against the United States ░░░░░░░░ you re going to ░░░░░░░░ anybody like that al ░░░░░░░░ then OK Certainly there ░░░░░░░░ some anti western Islamist ░░░░░░░░ involved in this attack ░░░░░░░░ to me that s ░░░░░░░░ that s a semantic ░░░░░░░░ and not a useful ░░░░░░░░ of answering the original ░░░░░░░░ GREGORY Right KIRKPATRICK which ░░░░░░░░ did the group founded ░░░░░░░░ Osama bin Laden and ░░░░░░░░ by Ayman Zawahiri lead ░░░░░░░░ attack GREGORY So let ░░░░░░░░ bring in Andrea Mitchell ░░░░░░░░ well because and and ░░░░░░░░ of you listen to ░░░░░░░░ in the days after ░░░░░░░░ attack on September 16th ░░░░░░░░ this program and others ░░░░░░░░ U N ambassador excuse ░░░░░░░░ ambassador of the United ░░░░░░░░ Susan Rice now the ░░░░░░░░ s national security adviser ░░░░░░░░ on the program and ░░░░░░░░ asked her about whether ░░░░░░░░ was a terrorist element ░░░░░░░░ This is what she ░░░░░░░░ then Start Clip RICE ░░░░░░░░ together the best information ░░░░░░░░ we have available to ░░░░░░░░ today our current assessment ░░░░░░░░ that what happened in ░░░░░░░░ was in fact initially ░░░░░░░░ spontaneous reaction to what ░░░░░░░░ just transpired hours before ░░░░░░░░ Cairo Almost a copycat ░░░░░░░░ of the demonstrations against ░░░░░░░░ facility in Cairo which ░░░░░░░░ prompted of course by ░░░░░░░░ video End Clip GREGORY ░░░░░░░░ she says the video ░░░░░░░░ a part of this ░░░░░░░░ was a spontaneous event ░░░░░░░░ part based on what ░░░░░░░░ intelligence community believed That ░░░░░░░░ being bolstered that original ░░░░░░░░ by this reporting in ░░░░░░░░ New York Times Mitchell ░░░░░░░░ I think that they ░░░░░░░░ not KIRKPATRICK Well if ░░░░░░░░ can interrupt you GREGORY ░░░░░░░░ KIRKPATRICK I would say ░░░░░░░░ we re not bolstering ░░░░░░░░ original assessment In fact ░░░░░░░░ made some clear misstatements ░░░░░░░░ This was not a ░░░░░░░░ protest and it was ░░░░░░░░ a copycat of what ░░░░░░░░ in Cairo That was ░░░░░░░░ an unarmed street protest ░░░░░░░░ is a group of ░░░░░░░░ men who inspired by ░░░░░░░░ video deliberately attacked the ░░░░░░░░ And so what she ░░░░░░░░ doing what she s ░░░░░░░░ there through her misstatement ░░░░░░░░ actually setting up a ░░░░░░░░ of a false dichotomy ░░░░░░░░ it was a spontaneous ░░░░░░░░ protest or it was ░░░░░░░░ armed terrorist attack And ░░░░░░░░ of those turns out ░░░░░░░░ be exactly the case ░░░░░░░░ was an armed terrorist ░░░░░░░░ motivated in large part ░░░░░░░░ the video.”