Suzanne Scholte for Congress

Op-Ed featured in The Daily Caller:

Sen. Diane Feinstein called the Benghazi hearings a “witch hunt.” The Obama administration called the attacks an “old story.” Congressman Gerry Connolly said the congressional investigation is a “blatant exploitation of a tragedy” with “outrageous GOP charges” that a U.S. security team was held back from rescuing Ambassador Stevens.

Current Fox News reporting by Brett Baier and the new book, 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex Security Team, reveal that first responders — Kris Paronto, Mark Geist, and John Tiegen were held back from an immediate attempt to help those being attacked at the consulate for half an hour.

A CIA officer in Benghazi, who has still not been identified under CIA demands, ordered these contractors to “stand down.” These men, speaking live on Fox, were stationed at the nearby Benghazi CIA annex— Kris Paronto, Mark Geist, and John Tiegen — and said they and were ready to respond within five minutes of notice of the attack.

Paronto said people at the consulate called them saying, “we’re taking fire, we need you guys here, we need help,” but the CIA chief held them for 30 minutes. By that time it was too late. “Ambassador Stevens and Sean [Smith], yeah, they would still be alive, my gut is yes… I strongly believe if we’d left immediately, they’d still be alive today,” Paronto told Bret Baier.

Why are we finding out two years later rescuers were stopped from leaving and rescuing Ambassador Stevens?

Simply put, the Obama administration, Congressman Gerry Connolly, and their allies participated in a cover-up of executive malfeasance to affect the 2012 elections. They have continually done everything possible to stop the truth from coming out. Why were Paronto, Geist and Tiegen prevented from testifying before Congress? Why won’t the State Department and CIA admit why they were in Benghazi? Who at the State Department sent the executive stand-down order?

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