The House Select Committee on Benghazi, led by Rep. Trey Gowdy has named Lt. Gen. Dana K. Chipman as chief counsel. Something that could potentially raise some eyebrows is the extent of Chipman’s relationship with Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey, a figure who has taken his share of heat over his role in the failure of the Pentagon to respond the attacks.
In 2013, Dempsey hosted Chipman’s retirement ceremony. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean the two men were close, the extent of their working / personal relationship should clearly be vetted in light of Dempsey’s role in responding to the Benghazi attacks, coupled with poor marks relative to them.
Dempsey (L) and Chipman (R) in 2013.
Earlier this year in a bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) report, Dempsey did not fare well at all. The report reads in part:
Failures in Leadership – General Dempsey
The tenure of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, has been marked by what we view as significant deficiencies in command. From Syria to Benghazi, there has been either a profound inability or clear unwillingness to identify and prevent problems before they arise. Given the known operating environment in Benghazi, much less North Africa, a strong military leader would have ensured there was a viable plan in place to rescue Americans should the need arise. We understand the Department of Defense cannot plan for a rescue operation of every Embassy or diplomatic facility across the globe, but Benghazi was different given its hostile environment and lack of host nation security and support. Yet, there was no such plan. General Dempsey’s attempts to excuse inaction by claiming that forces were not deployed because they would not have gotten there in time does not pass the common sense test… General Dempsey should have ensured that plan was in place, but he failed to do so.
According to Sharyl Attkisson, Chipman served as Judge Advocate General for the Army under Obama from 2009-2013.
It may be that Chipman is an excellent choice; we still don’t know. That said, in light of Congress’s history with investigations, this one should be approached with an extremely high level of skepticism.
Chipman (far left) and Dempsey (third from left)
The truth is that the truth about Benghazi is so dark, reaches so high, and implicates so many powerful people that skepticism should be in high supply.
As Shoebat.com has reported on extensively, the appointment of Philip Kiko as Executive Director for the Committee carries an entirely separate set of concerns. At this point, Kiko’s history should warrant his recusal based on our findings.
Philip Kiko