Sen Graham Calls Benghazi Testimony of Joint Chiefs' Chairman into Question

On May 9 Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said certain aspects of the testimony of Joint Chiefs’ Chairman General Martin Dempsey didn’t add up.

In particular, Graham said Dempsey’s claim that “no one was told to stand down is now in question.”

Said Graham:

I asked [Gen. Dempsey] directly, were there any military assets in motion to help folks in Benghazi, [that were] told to stand down? And what did [State Department whistle-blower] Gregory Hicks say? That Lt. Col. Steve Gibson–a DOD employee, a member of the Army–was in Tripoli, ready and willing to go to Benghazi, preparing to go to Benghazi, and was told to stand down.

Graham said he’d like to see Dempsey recalled “to clarify testimony on Benghazi.”

Asked about Graham’s comments, Pentagon spokesman Major Rob Firman seemed to back Dempsey’s story: “They weren’t told to stand down. They were simply told not to go to Benghazi. They were told to go to the airport in Tripoli to provide security there.”

A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs said Graham can recall Dempsey to testify if he likes, but Dempsey will not change his testimony.