'Hold in Place' Order Was Given During Benghazi Attack

Accountability Review Board member Admiral Mike Mullen admitted Thursday that a “hold in place” order was given during the assault on a U.S. State Department facility in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. Mullen made the admission while testifying that no “stand down” order was given.

Testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Admiral Mike Mullen said that the direction given to Special Operations Command Africa commander Lt. Col Gibson was to “hold in place” on the night of the attacks.

Gibson is the boss of Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya who had testified that a “stand down” order was given to Special Forces who wanted to help Americans who were under assault in Libya.

Mullen’s Accountability Review Board never interviewed Hillary Clinton, who headed the State Department at the time of the attack.

President Obama’s whereabouts and actions during the attack are among the questions regarding Benghazi that have never been answered.

Also on Thursday, parents of two of the four Americans killed in the attack testified that the president and several other senior administration officials lied to them about the origins of the attack.