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Wednesday, November 14

Petraeus offers to testify this week before House, Senate panels on Benghazi

Fox News, Nov 14:
Former CIA Director David Petraeus has agreed to testify about the Libya terror attack before the House and Senate intelligence committees, Fox News has learned.
[...]
The logistics of Petraeus' appearance are still being worked out. But a source close to Petraeus said the former four-star general has contacted the CIA, as well as committees in both the House and Senate, to offer his testimony as the former CIA director.

Fox News has learned he is expected to speak off-site to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday about his Libya report. The House side is still being worked out.
[...]
While Petraeus prepares to give his side, lawmakers have begun to openly question when Petraeus first knew about the investigation that uncovered his affair -- and whether it impacted his statements to Congress on Sept. 14 about the Libya terror attack.

Petraeus briefed lawmakers that day that the attack was akin to a flash mob, and some top lawmakers noted to Fox News he seemed "wedded" to the administration's narrative that it was a demonstration spun out of control. The briefing appeared to conflict with one from the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center a day earlier in which officials said the intelligence supported an Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda-affiliated attack.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., told Fox News he now questions whether Petraeus' statements -- which were in conflict with both the FBI briefing and available raw intelligence -- were in any way impacted by the knowledge the FBI was investigating his affair with Broadwell.

King questioned whether the investigation "consciously or subconsciously" affected his statements to Congress.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
The next hurdle will be getting the various congressional committees investigating Benghazi to hold a joint hearing. There's a committee that oversees defense, one for the CIA, and yet another for the State Dept. The problem is that with classified information being given at the closed-door hearings, the committees can't share what they learn. This makes it hard to get a clear picture of what actually happened during the attack in Benghazi and how the key agencies, including the White House, responded to the attack.

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