Benghazi Cover Up: Petraeus Says Benghazi Attack Was Terrorism

Impact

Former CIA Director David Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill on Friday. The disgraced general, who stepped down from his post allegedly because of an extra marital affair, said the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans -- including Ambassador Chris Stevens — were killed, was a terrorist attack carried out by Al Qaeda affiliates. 

The revelations were made by Representative Peter King (R-N.Y.) who leaked them to reporters after the closed-door hearing in which Petraeus was grilled during approximately 20 minutes on the administration's handling of and response to the Benghazi attack. 

King said Petraeus' account was different from the initial explanation the Obama administration gave of the attack, which was described on September 14 (and subsequent days) as an "spontaneous" response to the anti-Islam YouTube video The Innocence of Muslims.  

According to Kind, Petraeus said during the hearing that he had "discussed the possibility of [the incident] being a terrorist attack" when he first briefed the president in September. "He had told us that this was a terrorist attack and there were terrorists involved from the start," King said. 

The New York Republican congressman implied the administration misled lawmakers and the American public by suggesting there was an "overwhelming amount of evidence" that proved the deadly events in Benghazi were — like the administration said back then "spontaneous." Kind added that the adjective was somehow "minimized" during Petraeus Friday testimony. "The cause of that discrepancy is unclear," he added.