The Daily Beast's Eli Lake--who deserves a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Benghazi--reported
today that the State Department did not ask for military backup while
the U.S. consulate was under attack on 9/11. That, together with other
denials collected already, suggests that President Barack Obama decided,
early on, there would be no intervention as long as the attack did not
spread beyond the consulate or safe house.
Lake recounts what is known about the afternoon's events:
By 11 p.m. Benghazi time [5 p.m. EDT], 90 minutes after the assault
began on the U.S. mission, Obama met with the National Security Council
to discuss the attack. NSC spokesman Tommy Vietor said the president
“ordered Secretary Panetta and Chairman Dempsey to begin moving assets
into the region to prepare for a range of contingencies” at that
meeting.
Today, the White House press secretary let it slip
during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One that President Obama’s
inaction on the Benghazi situation now extends to inaction on the
supposed investigation taking place. The administration has still not
made clear what exactly is being investigated, or the extent of the
investigation. And President Obama doesn’t much care. Said Carney:
He has not participated in the
investigation. He is anticipating results that show us exactly what
happened and who is responsible and what lessons we can learn from it
and ensure it never happens again. He expects the investigation to be
rigorous.
Of course, no investigation is really necessary as far as the
decisions made on the night of the murders of our ambassador, two former
Navy SEALs, and a fourth American. The administration knows precisely
what happened – who gave the stand-down order, and who refused to
authorize military intervention. They just don’t want to release that.
That’s why the investigation does not center on that issue. Instead,
Obama would prefer to focus on jet-setting for the next few days, and
overseeing flood waters in New Jersey for the cameras.
It took the FBI several days to reach Benghazi and investigate the 9-11 terrorist attacks that left four Americans dead.
Terrorists murdered the US Ambassador and three others on the anniversary of 9-11. The FBI reportedly spent only a few hours investigating at the consulate after the attack.
Several sensitive documents were left behind.
Foreign Policy reported:
More than six weeks after the shocking assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi — and nearly a month after an FBI team arrived to collect evidence about the attack
– the battle-scarred, fire-damaged compound where Ambassador Chris
Stevens and another Foreign Service officer lost their lives on Sept. 11
still holds sensitive documents and other relics of that traumatic final day…
…The continued threat to U.S. personnel in Benghazi may be the reason
these documents escaped the FBI’s attention. With suspected militants
still roaming the streets, FBI investigators only had limited time to
check the consulate compound. According to a Benghazi resident who resides near the consulate, the FBI team spent only three hours examining the compound.
The FBI declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
During their short visit, FBI agents apparently mapped the compound
by gluing small pieces of yellow paper with different letters on it next
to each room in the TOC building. Next to the room where the letters
and most documents were found, a yellow paper marks it room “D.” Above
the paper, somebody has carved a swastika in the blackened wall.
Villa C, which was used as Stevens’ residence during his stay in
Benghazi, is located 50 meters from the TOC building. Here, an open
window leads to the safe haven — a sealed-off part of Villa C where
Stevens and Smith suffocated to death. On the destroyed bed lay the Aug.
6, 2012, copy of the New Yorker. The magazine’s cover carries a label
with Stevens’s name and his diplomatic mailing address.
A few meters to the right is the safe haven’s bathroom. Everything
here is blackened by smoke. One of the two white toilets is covered with
bloodstains. On the mirror in the bathroom, an unknown person has
written a macabre text in a thin layer of ash. “I am Chris from the dead,” it reads.
It took the FBI several days to reach Benghazi and investigate the 9-11 terrorist attacks that left four Americans dead.
The FBI stayed for three hours.
They left behind several sensitive documents that were later scooped up by regional media outlets.
Today, Alaan TV, a UAE channel,
revealed that letters found inside the consulate, written by the U.S.
Consular staff and addressed to the Libyan Foreign Ministry and the
Benghazi police chief, revealed security breaches at the consulate.
MEMRI reported: “The Letters Read As Follows: ‘Early This Morning, On September
11… A Member Of The [Libyan] Police Force Was Seen… Photographing The
Inside Of The U.S. Consulate’”
There’s more: “The Letters Revealed That Since September 9, The Americans Had
Been Requesting Special Security Arrangements In Preparation For Arrival
Of Ambassador Chris Stevens” – But That These “Were Not Granted”
Reporter: “The letters revealed that since September 9,
the Americans had been requesting special security arrangements, in
preparation for the arrival of Ambassador Chris Stephens to Benghazi.
These arrangements included the police guarding the front and rear gates
of the consulate around the clock, in addition to a mobile patrol and a
bomb-sniffing dog.
WASHINGTON DC -
The U.S. Mission in Benghazi convened an “emergency meeting” less than a
month before the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three
other Americans, because Al Qaeda had training camps in Benghazi and
the consulate could not defend against a “coordinated attack,” according
to a classified cable reviewed by Fox News.
Summarizing an Aug. 15 emergency meeting convened by the U.S. Mission
in Benghazi, the Aug. 16 cable marked “SECRET” said that the State
Department’s senior security officer, also known as the RSO, did not
believe the consulate could be protected.
“RSO (Regional Security Officer) expressed concerns with the ability
to defend Post in the event of a coordinated attack due to limited
manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support,
and the overall size of the compound,” the cable said.
According to a review of the cable addressed to the Office of the
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Emergency Action Committee was
also briefed “on the location of approximately ten Islamist militias and
AQ training camps within Benghazi … these groups ran the spectrum from
Islamist militias, such as the QRF Brigade and Ansar al-Sharia, to
‘Takfirist thugs.’” Each U.S. mission has a so-called Emergency Action
Committee that is responsible for security measures and emergency
planning.
The details in the cable seemed to foreshadow the deadly Sept. 11
attack on the U.S. compound, which was a coordinated, commando-style
assault using direct and indirect fire. Al Qaeda in North Africa and
Ansar al-Sharia, both mentioned in the cable, have since been implicated
in the consulate attack.
The definition of a failed administration–
Barack Obama told Wisconsin voters today: “Some of the businesses we encourage will fail.”
Oh well, at least Obama’s donors got paid. 80% of DOE dollars went to Obama backers.
Over 19 of Obama’s green ventures went belly-up after receiving billions of dollars.
Heritage reported:
For those who only hear about these failing companies one
by one, the following is a list of all the clean energy companies
supported by President Obama’s stimulus that are now failing or have
filed for bankruptcy. The liberal media hopes you’ve forgotten about all
of them except Solyndra, but we haven’t.
As millions suffered without power and as law enforcement continued
to find bodies in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Bette Midler and her
Obama-supporting pals found time to throw a lavish Halloween party in Manhattan, just miles from where streets remained underwater.
These 1 percenters seemed blissfully unconcerned about the situation
just a few blocks away, as they partied late into the night at the
Waldorf Astoria hotel. Midler was joined by Michael Kors and, fittingly,
Debra
Messing dressed as Marie Antoinette. Really.
Midler is a loud and proud Obama supporter, recently tweeting: "All
the things Pres. Obama put in place are starting to work! Just starting!
Don't give up the Ship of State to the untrustworthy." She also
suggested that the YouTube filmmaker blamed by the Obama administration
for the Benghazi attacks be jailed.
Debra Messing is an Obama backer. So too is Kors.
Al Gore was slated to show up to give the keynote address. He
couldn’t make it, Midler tweeted, thanks to the Hurricane and global
warming.
Midler raised $1.8 million for her charity. She did, however, add
that throwing this event was "unbelievably stressful" thanks to Sandy.
How desperate is hurricane-ravaged New Jersey? Not desperate enough to suspend a union monopoly that keeps the state in the bottom ten states for economic competitiveness (and #48 for business friendliness).
Relief crews from Alabama who were specifically called to New Jersey
found themselves diverted to Long Island, NY after they arrived because
they use non-union labor. Alabama is a right-to-work state.
WAFF-TV of Hunstville, AL reports:
Crews from Huntsville, as well as Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler
out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the
Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they
can't do any work there since they're not union employees....
Understandably, Moore said they're frustrated being told "thanks, but no thanks."
With so much at stake--and lives still in danger--it would seem logical to tell special interests to step aside.
On Wednesday, while visiting cleanup efforts in New Jersey in the company of Gov. Chris Christie, President Barack Obama vowed: "We are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy."
Unless, of course, that red tape is enforced by Obama's union cronies. Then stranded residents have to wait.
Here is a photo of the devastation of the town the crews were to have assisted--Seaside Heights, NJ:
Politics Before People–
Non-union utility workers from Alabama were called up to help out in New
Jersey but when they reached the state they were denied entry.
The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north
Alabama help, but crews from Huntsville Utilities learned they’ll be
doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey.
Crews from Huntsville, as well as Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler
out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the
Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can’t do any work there since they’re not union employees.
The crews that are in Roanoke, Virginia say they are just watching
and waiting even though they originally received a call asking for help
from Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
The crews were told to stand down. In fact, Moore said the crew from Trinity is already headed back home.
Fresh off his "climate disruption"-driven endorsement of President Obama,
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has chosen to divert critical
food supplies and power generators from desperate residents of Staten
Island to Sunday's New York City Marathon. Gothamist reports:
[T]hose urging the city to halt the run believe that the thousands of
Marathon volunteers could direct their efforts towards post-Sandy
relief and cleanup, "and they also argue that the event will divert
thousands of police from important hurricane-related duties." But
despite petitions circulating, work started up again yesterday on the
Marathon route.
A tipster, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us there were lots of
workers in and out of the park today, who had "started before the storm
and then came back starting yesterday." Trailers are lined up from
around 71st to 66th Streets on Central Park West, a food truck was set
up today, and "generators have been sitting there at least a week." The
tents that were taken down prior to the storm have also been set back
up, and there is a stage set up near 73rd Street.
Considering all the volunteer help and NYPD attention that's already
being diverted to the Marathon, the added sight of generators and food
being channeled to the event is probably going to strike some New
Yorkers as a little misplaced—we're thinking of the ones who are
currently lined up waiting for the National Guard to ration out MREs and
bottles of water.
Staten Island residents are frantically calling for help, ABC News reported on Thursday:
Police have arrested 13 people in New York City on suspicion of looting
Looters have especially targeted Queens and Brooklyn, some even posting photos of their bounty
National Guard deployed 1,175 troops to protect New York City and Long Island amid fears
Borough President has begged for more troops to be deployed to storm-ravaged South Brooklyn
A mob of more than 50 thieves rampaged through Coney Island, stealing alcohol, flat-screen TVs and even diapers or Kit-Kats
Several brazen thugs have robbed their
neighbors and their local shops of everything from basic food stuffs to
expensive electronics and they are taking to Twitter to broadcast their
spoils.'Check out this laptop I scored,' SevenleafB tweeted earlier today. 'It's easy just reach out an grab it.' It appears the looters are organizing through the hashtag #SANDYLOOTCREW. Brooklyn
Borough President Marty Markowitz has now called on New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo to put a stop to the crime-wave sweeping South Brooklyn. Scroll down for video
Looting for clothes: Tevon D'sean Jackson proudly announced on the social network that his mother had stolen him a new shirt
Catnapper: One person using the alias SevenleafB bragged about stealing a cat from a house during a looting-tour of New York
Police have so far arrested nearly a
dozen people for the crime, but Mr Markowitz said that the FDNY, police,
and other first responders are overwhelmed in the borough and
desperately need relief. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, however, has stated
that the only people he wants on the streets are New York's finest.
'Governor Cuomo also acted quickly by
activating the National Guard prior to the storm, and I urge him to
allocate as many troops as possible to Brooklyn—troops from New York or
any other states that can spare them,' said Mr Markowitz in a statement. 'The devastation is so widespread and overwhelming that it’s in the best
interest of all of our residents for a more significant National Guard
presence to supplement the great work being done by our brave—but
overwhelmed—first responders. 'In addition to flooding, power
outages, lack of utilities, sanitation and water issues, and no
transportation in neighborhoods such as Coney Island, Sea Gate, Brighton
Beach, Manhattan Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay,
DUMBO, Red Hook and others, there have been unfortunate incidents of
looting in some locations.
Recruiting: As if the cat and the games was not enough, brazen thief
SevenleafB also encouraged others to loot in the wake of Hurricane Sandy
'All of our resources have been
stretched to the limit, but in the name of public safety we need to send
more National Guard personnel into Coney Island, Manhattan Beach,
Gerritsen Beach, Red Hook and any other locations the governor deems
appropriate.' Neighborhoods like Brighton Beach and
Coney Island are still without electricity, and suffering form a lack
of basic services, causing residents to fear the worst and either stay
inside their ravaged homes or risk the streets.
A
mob of more than 50 thieves made the most of the opportunity on Coney's
Island, starting down Mermaid Avenue on Tuesday morning as the water
receded. 'People were running in and out of Rent-A-Center carrying these big flat-screens,' witness Aisha John, 20, told theDaily News. 'They were holding on tight. I couldn't understand how someone could steal a big TV in broad daylight, but no one cared.' She said people were running out of a nearby Rite Aid with bags of diapers and wipes. A
young man calling himself Jesse James claimed he had helped himself to a
TV at the Rent-A-Center. 'Look, they've been looting our wallets for
too long,' he added. Looters used tools to break through the steel security gates of Joann’s Discount Wine and Liquors at around 11.30am.
Prepared: A boarded up pizza restaurant in Hoboken, New Jersey
Ron Troyano, owner of said the atmosphere was one of 'complete lawlessness'. The
thieves then shattered his storefront and helped themselves to
thousands of dollars worth of Hennessy and Grey Goose, he said. Two
police guarded Joann’s over night but failed to stop more looters from
sneaking in through the roof and passing bottles down to each other from
there. Mr Troyano said that between the
flooding and plundering, his losses were too high to calculate and he is
not sure when he will reopen. 'We
are supposed to come together as a community during times of crisis,
not pick at each other like vultures,' he said. 'Next time I'm getting a
gun.' Looters also hit The Fresh Market five blocks down, 'destroying everything', according to employee Fernando Mendoza. 'They stole anything they could get their hands on,' he said yesterday. 'Someone even ran off with the cash register.' 'It was a mob of people. Fifty to a hundred. They were just running down the street grabbing anything that wasn't nailed down.'
A
Rite Aid employee, who declined to give her name, said: 'They were
literally walking out with shopping carts full of merchandise. They
didn't even look worried. They looked like they were casually shopping. 'I saw an elderly lady walking away with batteries and a bag of Kit Kats.'
Urgent request: Brooklyn Bourough President Marty Markowitz (pictured)
urged New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to send the National Guard to
Brooklyn in order to put an end to looting
Although there have only been reports
of a dozen or so arrests related to lootings, media coverage and online
accounts indicate the actual problem is much more widespread. Thieves have posted photographs of everything from video games to subwoofers to dehumidifiers.
Twitter user @OG_MLK posted a photo of
a man grabbing hold of a big screen television with the caption Pics
of my boy Demarcus swiping that tv #SANDYLOOTCREW.' Another user posted a photo of a woman
running on the street with a mannequin wearing a white shirt with the
caption 'Last night even Momma got outta her house to loot me a new
shirt... Luv U Momma #SANDYLOOTCREW' Some accounts that claim they are
participating in the illegal activities are clearly fake with only a few
previous tweets. Others appear to be genuine. Other people have used the hashtag to announce their disgust at the actions of the self-proclaimed 'loot crew.' 'Can we track down all the people on
the #SandyLootCrew and give them the death penalty? Disgusting behavior
in a tragic time,' said @randomscreenname.
Abandoned: Thousands of shops and businesses were boarded up before the
superstorm struck, including this branch of Saks on Fifth Avenue in New
York
Mayor Bloomberg has rebuffed Mr Markowitz's call for support, saying that the does not want the National Guard in Brooklyn. 'The NYPD had 80 light towers up last
night in areas with power outages and the goal is to have 100 more for
tonight,' he said earlier today. Residents have said they are afraid to leave their apartments, even though they have no hot water nor electricity. 'People are turning on each other --
they're attacking each other,' said Dena Wells, of Ocean
Towers. 'Even when there's no disaster, this
building is disastrous,' the 39-year-old told theHuffington Post. 'But after the hurricane, it just got crazy. We
have to get out of here.' Photographs of alleged looters
breaking into abandoned stores have been widely published, as well as
tweets announcing the illegal intentions of some Brooklynites. 'It's getting dark, and it's real
dangerous out here -- that's why there's a cop on every block,' said one NYPD
officer. 'You could get your stuff stolen.'
Anybody in there? Firefighters believed the
collapsed building in the north of Philadelphia was empty until they
heard the man crawling out of the wreckage
The situation has been different in
Lower Manhattan, however, and nearby Newark where the police have
reported no instances of looting. 'There’s been no problems out here,'
said one NYPD officer who asked not to be named to Fox News. 'It’s been
really quiet and everyone’s been really helpful.' Some Lower Manhattan residents have
said that the neighborhoods above the devastated Financial District
bustle as usual during the day and are desolate at night. 'It’s like a curfew,” Gina Williams,
Lower East Side resident, said. 'As soon as it gets dark everyone goes
upstairs because nobody wants to be out here.' Newark Mayor Cory Booker announced on Twitter that his city came together after the hurricane. 'Police have reported ZERO looting or
crimes of opportunity in Newark. And ceaseless reports of acts of
kindness abound everywhere #Gratitude,' he said yesterday.
Emerging from the wreckage: The man raises a
smile as he drags himself out of the collapsed building in
Philadelphia... but he was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of
looting
Looters, however, are becoming more greedy and more clever.
One cab driver described seeing the thieves in action when he returned to his home in Brooklyn’s Gerritsen Beach. Eric Martine, 33, told the New York Post: ‘Guys were looting, pretending they were Con Ed and holding people up. It was sick.’ Police have allegedly warned locals that looters were disguising themselves as utility workers. A police source told the Post that the ‘scumbags looting’ will not be tolerated and will be arrested ‘on sight’. In the Rockaways, Queens, eight
suspects were arrested: three at a petrol station, three at a Radio
Shack electronics store and two at a clothing store. The Rockaways were particularly badly
hit by the storm. More than 80 homes in the Breezy Point section of the
peninsula were destroyed by a fire whipped on by violent winds. Furthermore, Queens and Brooklyn
officers had an especially tough time tackling the looters as some
police precincts had to be evacuated on Monday due to flooding. None of the crimes were reported to have been violent and no one was injured.
History repeated: New York's 1977 blackout prompted riots, looting and mayhem causing millions of dollars worth of damage
Meanwhile, in South Street Seaport - a
stone’s throw from Manhattan’s Financial District - multiple stores
were allegedly ransacked. While a visible police presence is deterring any potential looters, some businesses have also enlisted private security. Mayor Bloomberg reassured residents
and business owners on Tuesday that there is a ‘very heavy police
presence’ in the areas worst hit. Shortly before the super-storm hit New
York, thousands of National Guard troops were mobilised to prevent
looting sprees on homes and shops. Scores of trouble makers took to Twitter threatening to ransack stores and burgle abandoned homes as Sandy passed.
Prepared: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo quickly activated the National Guard before the storm
The online threats prompted the New
York National Guard to deploy 1,175 troops in New York City, Long Island
and the Hudson Valley to maintain law and order. The National Guard said they had been
mobilised to 'provide command and control and logistical support',
adding that one of the troops' main duties would be to 'protect against
looting.' The move came as President Obama
declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island after the
Superstorm hit overnight on Monday, leaving the area looking like the
set of a disaster movie. Sandy hit the mainland at 6.30pm local
time on Monday, having battered the eastern coast all day with 13ft
waves, causing widespread flooding, damage to buildings and power cuts. On Wednesday morning, the storm had claimed the life of at least 50 people, 22 of whom were killed in New York. The damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is estimated to be $50 billion (£31 billion).
Members of the National Guard load a truck heading to flooded areas caused by Hurricane Sandy in the New York area
On Monday, a Philadelphia man rescued from the wreckage of a collapsed building was promptly arrested for looting. The abandoned three-storey building in
the north of the city had been reduced to rubble after Superstorm Sandy
battered the east coast. Firefighters working to make the
building safe didn't think anyone was inside, until they heard someone
crawling out of the rubble. After helping him to safety, police
officers arrested him for disorderly conduct on the suspicion that he
had crawled in to the building, located on Cumberland Street, looking
for things to loot. The exact cause of the building's
collapse is still unknown but Philadelphia was buffeted by 50mph gusts
as a result of the storm.
Help: A member of the Army National Guard
delivers emergency drinking water to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter to aid
victims from Hurricane Sandy earlier today
Saviors: A member of the National Guard takes charge of an evacuation of elderly victims in New Jersey
Stepping in: A man walks his dog past two
National Guard vehicles in central New York as the city tries to recover
from the after effects of Sandy
The use of Twitter to organise looting
has echoes of last year's London riots and follows a phenomenon of
'flash robberies' in America in which organised mobs descend on stores
or individuals to steal goods. The plans are made on social networking sites such as Facebook or by e-mail. One Twitter user called 'GT: OpTic
TUMES' wrote on Monday: 'Just started a looting clan. LL - Luscious
Looters. Message @OpTicPauL. for tryouts must have mask.
#HurricaneSandy.' Another, Matt Worman, posted on
Sunday: 'Bout to do some looting when this hurricane finally
hits...gonna get a new laptop and tv...this hurricane might be the best
thing to happen.' Lucas Emil wrote: 'If this hurricane gets real bad I'm looting stores! I always wanted to do that...' Looters often take advantage of
hurricanes to loot - the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 became
notorious for large scale lawlessness in New Orleans. The practice became so commonplace that police officers were eventually told not to stop people ransacking stores. Police were caught on camera looting a
Wal-Mart store, later claiming 'they had received permission from
superiors to take necessities for themselves and other officers.'
Evacuees: Victims in New Jersey were picked up by the National Guard and taken to safety
Hoping for a rescue: Brooklyn Borough President
Markowitz has asked for the National Guard to be deployed to Brooklyn to
bring order among looters
Abandoned homes were also pillaged during Hurricane Irene last year. Some New Yorkers will remember the
city's 1977 blackout which prompted riots, looting and mayhem that
caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Lightning knocked out electricity for
25 hours on July 13, 1977, at a time when the city was suffering from a
financial crisis and high unemployment levels. Reports at the time included 50 cars
being hot-wired and driven out of the showroom to be dismantled for
parts, and hundreds hospitalised after fires and fighting broke out. Around 4,500 people were arrested after the blackout chaos which caused damage estimated at around 61 million.
Longtime African-American civil rights advocate Rev. Joseph Lowery
told The Daily Caller that he was joking when he told a get-out-the-vote
event that all whites will go to hell.
“It was a joke” that was supposed to show the perspective of a young
militant, Lowery told TheDC. “When I said it, I said it was a joke, I
identified it as a joke.”
However, attendees at the African-American event Oct. 27 were reportedly horrified.
Yesterday, the Romney campaign told reporters that it expected to win
at least some of the “blue states” in which it is now competing with
Obama in the Midwest, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
The campaign did not give a specific reason for its optimism, but one
thing these states have in common is a high proportion of Catholic
voters. And Catholic voters have shifted dramatically towards Mitt
Romney.
The Florida ophthalmologist caught in the middle of Sen. Robert Menendez’s prostitute scandal is also one of the largest donor’s to the Super PAC supporting Senate Democrats.
Salomon Melgen founded the Melgen Vitreo Retinal Eye Center in Florida, formerly known as Vitreo Retinal Consultants Eye Center. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Melgen’s Vitreo Retinal Consultants has contributed at least $700,000 to Majority PAC, a Super PAC dedicated to Democrat candidates for Senate and founded by a former aide to Sen. Harry Reid.
During this cycle, Melgen has also contributed at least $5,000 to Menendez and $10,000 to the New Jersey Democrat State Committee.
