U.S. military airlifts FBI into Benghazi

More than three weeks after the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, the U.S. military on Thursday airlifted a team of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a short mission to the destroyed U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi.

“At the request of the FBI, the department provided logistic and security support to the investigation team in order to conduct work onsite in Benghazi.  DOD personnel completed that support earlier today and have departed Benghazi, along with the investigation team,” said Pentagon press secretary George Little, in a press briefing.

Little would not say what types of aircraft or other assets that were involved, where the U.S. troops came from, or how many participated. The spokesman said he did not want to divulge further details as to protect thesecurity of any similar future missions. “They left a short time ago,” he said.

“I wouldn’t get into the specifics on this small footprint of military personnel,” he said. But Little later indicated the FAST Team contingent of Marines sent to guard the U.S. embassy in Tripoli remained “focused” there.

Quickly after the Benghazi attack, President Obama had vowed to bring those involved to “justice.” But as weeks passed with no FBI teams able to investigate the scene, reports mounted about the unusual circumstances of both dealing with a nascent Libyan government and uncertain security at the site.

Two days before Thursday’s military escort, a Washington Post reporter at the Benghazi compound found sensitive documents uprotected and unrecovered.

Little said that report played no role in the timing of this mission, but would not respond to questions about the perceived delay.

“The U.S. military has been willing to consider requests at various points.  This is really, I think, a question I think best directed to the State Department, FBI.  I know that both the State Department and FBI have been anxious to move this process along, to move the investigationforward, and we stand ready to support them in whatever way possible.

Asked again to clarify what took so long for the U.S. to get there, Little said, “Well, the U.S. government has been aggressively looking into precisely what happened since September the 11th, when the attack occurred on Benghazi — consulate in Benghazi.  So, we’ve not been sitting around waiting you know for information to come to us.  We’ve been actively chasing leads in various ways.”

Several members of Congress continue to press the administration to explain the delay. Read more on that, here.