Monday marked the five year anniversary of the terrorist attack on a CIA annex in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, including ambassador Chris Stephens. Five years later we now know much more than we did on that terrible day. We know for certain that it was an act of terror and not a spontaneous protest that turned violent thanks to a YouTube video. We also know that Hillary Clinton thinks it makes no difference how those four Americans died.

Much has been written about Benghazi since that awful day, but the scope of the scandal is never quite covered. We often see replays of Hillary’s infamous testimony, demand answers as to why help wasn’t sent sooner, and honor those who lost their lives. While we remember plenty, we oftentimes forget to mention important details. Here are three damning aspects of the Benghazi tragedy that are seldom mentioned.

An Innocent Man Had His Life Ruined

In the hours following the attack, the Obama administration of course blamed the attack on a spontaneous protest that erupted in response to an anti Islam YouTube video. “The Innocence Of Muslims” was an obscure, low budget film that criticized Islam. The video had been gaining traction in Egypt, but not much.

While the fact that Obama and company lied about matters of national security to save face is incredibly troubling, what is even more troubling is what happened to the filmmaker. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian, was prosecuted for making the video. Having previously been convicted of fraud, prosecutors decided that making the video violated his probation terms. Nakoula spent close to a year in prison and is currently on probation. According to Fox News, Nakoula was homeless as of last year and is a broken man. He was also sentenced to death in absentia by the radical, now deposed Egyptian Government of Mohamed Morsi.

The YouTube Video Narrative Endangered More American Lives And Lead To Violence

Once the Obama Administration started pushing the video narrative, mass protests erupted across the Islamic world. In Egypt, protesters broke into the embassy compound where they ripped down the American flag and replaced it with a flag similar to that of ISIS. Violent clashes lead to a few deaths and scores of injuries in Tunisia, Lebanon and Yemen among other places. The situation got so volatile that U.S. embassies in Sudan and Yemen had to be evacuated.

While the video had been gaining traction in Egypt during the week prior, it is safe to say that the international flair ups would not have happened if the YouTube video narrative wasn’t used. In typical Obama fashion, he bent over backwards to make sure that radical islamist’s feelings weren’t hurt while failing to call the attack an act of terror, which leads into the final point.

Candy Crowley Bailed Out Obama In The Debate

The Benghazi attack happened during the heat of an election cycle in a much different world. This was in 2012, just before the powder keg in the Middle East had gone off and things appeared relatively peaceful. Obama tried to convey the message that Islamic extremism was on the decline thanks to Bin Laden’s death, that was all thanks to him of course. He also was running on the “liberation” of Libya where military action was used to depose the central government in favor of various militias.

In a moment that I will never forget, Mitt Romney called Obama out for his failure to call the attack an act of terror during his rose garden speech. “The day after the attack, governor, I stood in the rose garden and I told the American people and the world that we were going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror, and also said that we’re going to hunt down those that committed this crime,” Obama calmly replied. “I want to make sure we get that for the record because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror” Romney stated, certain that he had him on the ropes.

Then, as if by design, Obama calmly declared “get the transcripts” as CNN contributor and debate moderator Candy Crowley “corrected” Romney. Crowley stated to the tens of millions of people watching that Obama did call it an act of terror. She cited a broad line towards the end of the speech where Obama said “No act of terror will dim the light of the values that we proudly shine on the rest of the world”. The crowd erupted into applause, breaking debate protocol and making Obama look like a rose where he should have been decimated. The next day, Crowley stated that her “correction” may not have been accurate, but the entire country didn’t hear it as opposed to the night before when they heard her come to Obama’s defense.

We Must Never Forget

While these are far from the biggest issues surrounding Benghazi, each is despicable in it’s own right. The Obama Administration’s handling of Benghazi put the “S” in sleazy and almost certainly prevented an election loss. Next time Benghazi is brought up, be sure to bring up these points. The American people deserve to know the truth, the whole truth.

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