Demonstrators, who call themselves Veterans for Truth, march outside the Barack Obama re-election campaign office in Mason on Oct. 30, 2012 to protest what they call a “cover-up” of the events in Benghazi during an attack on a U.S. consulate there last month. The Enquirer/Rachel Richardson
Conservative activists in Mason gathered outside the Obama re-election campaign office Tuesday to protest what they say is an Obama administration “cover-up” of the events in Benghazi during an attack on a U.S. consulate there last month.
The group of about eight demonstrators, who call themselves Veterans for Truth and dub their campaign the Libya Truth Project, organized independently, but come as part of statewide effort taking place through Election Day.
The Mason group will march again from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday and again on Wednesday outside the office at 108 West Main Street.
In Cincinnati, tea party activists and others will gather at Fountain Square downtown Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. for a press conference, prayer and march to protest “the growing deception surrounding Benghazi and honor those killed in this terrorist attack,” according to a news release issued by organizers.
“We’re veterans, we’re patriots and we think we deserve answers from the Commander in Chief,” said Don Prince, a Vietnam veteran who’s organizing the Mason demonstrations.
Don Prince, a former Mason mayor and councilman, marches outside the Barack Obama re-election campaign office in Mason on Oct. 20, 2012 to protest what he says is a “cover-up” of the events in Benghazi during an attack on a U.S. consulate there last month. The Enquirer/Rachel Richardson
The Sept. 11 attack on the consulate, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, has become a heated campaign issue between President Barack Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Several White House officials initially attributed the violence to protests over an anti-Mohammad video made in the U.S. that caused massive protests across the Middle East, and said it was not premeditated. Obama and other officials have since said the incident was a deliberate terrorist attack.
Romney and other Republicans have accused the Obama administration of trying to cover up details of the attack, in part because it would weaken one of Obama’s key campaign selling points. In campaign speeches, Obama has cited the killing of Osama bin Laden as one of the campaign pledges he has fulfilled.
White House officials have rejected the criticism, saying their explanations changed as more information about the attack became available. The FBI, a Clinton-appointed panel and Congress are investigating the attacks.
Prince, a Mason city councilman and former mayor, said he was concerned about news reports that claim the White House Situation Room viewed real-time video stream of the attacks. White House officials say there was no video stream available.
“I heard (reports) on Fox News, on Hannity, on Glenn Beck,” said Prince. “They were fully aware of what was going on. If that’s true, it’s a disgrace that we didn’t help those people.”
Another demonstrator, Scott Pierce, of Mason, criticized the Obama administration for refusing to explain lax security at the consulate and whether pleas for help on the ground in Libya were denied during the attack.
When asked similar questions by reporters in recent days, Obama has repeated his call for a thorough investigation
“Our country deserves answers from the Commander in Chief,” said Pierce, who served in the U.S. Navy for six years in the 1970s. “The president’s number one job is to defend our sovereign soil. I respect him, I honor that position and all I want to know is, sir, why did we not respond when they asked for help?”
