A dispute erupted over the weekend about two Delta Force operators’ actions during the 2012 Benghazi attack, pitting former security team members against claims about the secret operators’ role in the fighting that ended with four Americans killed by radical Islamic terrorists.
The resurgence of the Benghazi debate comes just days after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.
Critics were quick to pounce on Clinton as the debate went viral.
Take a look —
Hillary Clinton thinks we forgot.
We will never forget what happened in Benghazi & how she acted afterwards.
Presidential Medal of Freedom is tarnished.
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) January 5, 2025
John “Tig” Tiegen, who helped defend U.S. facilities during the attack, recently went viral when he rejected suggestions that Delta Force played a significant role in the fighting.
“They didn’t do Jack f***ing s**t that night,” Tiegen said in response to questions about the operators’ actions in Benghazi.
The controversy ignited after the “Antihero Podcast,” co-hosted by former Delta Force member Brent Tucker, suggested the special forces unit might have unrevealed information about their involvement. Both operators received high military honors – the Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross – but have never spoken publicly about their roles.
Former Delta Force operator Dave Nielsen provided a different account in a 2024 interview, stating the operators helped secure Ambassador Chris Stevens’ body. A 2013 Fox News report claimed at least one Delta operator visited the hospital where Stevens was believed to be.
Mark Geist and Kris Paronto, who fought alongside Tiegen, backed his version of events. Paronto previously stated that he had no idea what the Delta operators were doing during the attack.
We disagree with each other , we argue, we fight but we did that in Benghazi too. We will always stand together when attacked whether it’s with false words or bullets. You come at one of us you come at all. Many others before you with more power, more money and helluva lot more… https://t.co/n42sug9aTf
— Kris Paronto (@KTantoP) January 12, 2025
Sarah Adams also questioned the operators’ awards, calling them “highly exaggerated and not factual.”
It is true their award citation is highly exaggerated and not factual
— Sarah Adams (@TPASarah) January 12, 2025
The September 11-12, 2012 attack on the diplomatic consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi left Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans dead. The incident sparked major controversy for the Obama administration over what was known by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The accounts that have since emerged from the deadly night — and what was, and wasn’t, done — continues to besmirch Clinton’s legacy over a decade later.
America hasn’t forgotten.