Sharyl Attkisson - Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington.

The truth eventually finds a way to be told.

W ith much appreciation to: the journalists who shared their experiences; to Tab Turner, Nick Poser, Jonathan Sternberg, and Rick Altabef for keeping me legal all these years; Richard Leibner; my computer forensics team and helpers; Les; Don; Owen; Mark; Bill; Sen. Coburn and Keith; Keith and Matt at Javelin; Adam and the entire Harper team; Brian; Jim and Sarah; and my whole supportive family.

T he content of this book is based on my own opinions, experiences, and observations. Some quotes contained within are based on my best recollections of the events and, in each instance, accurately reflect the spirit and my sense of the conversations.

Some proceeds from this book are being donated to the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida.

CONTENTS

| Big Brother |

My Computers Intruders

R eeeeeeeeeee.

The noise is coming from my personal Apple desktop computer in the small office adjacent to my bedroom. Its starting up.

On its own.

Reeeeeee... chik chik chik chik, says the computer as it shakes itself awake.

The electronic sounds stir me from sleep. I squint my eyes at the clock radio on the table next to the bed. The numbers blink back: 3:14 a.m.

Only a day earlier, my CBS-issued Toshiba laptop, perched at the foot of my bed, had whirred to life on its own. That too had been untouched by human hands. What time was that? I think it was 4 a.m.

Some nights, both computers spark to life, one after the other. A cacophony of microprocessors interrupting the normal sounds of the night. After thirty seconds, maybe a minute, they go back to sleep. I know this is not normal computer behavior.

My husband, a sound sleeper, snores through it all. Half asleep, I try to remember how long ago my computers first started going rogue. A year? Two? It no longer startles me. But its definitely piquing my curiosity.

Its October 2012, and Ive been digging into the September 11 terrorist attacks on Americans at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Its the most interesting puzzle Ive come across since the Fast and Furious gunwalking story, which led to international headlines and questions that remain unanswered.

Solving these kinds of puzzles is probably the challenge that drives me most. Theres nothing like an unsolved mystery to keep me at the computer or on the phone until one or two in the morning. Most mysteries can be solved, you just have to find the information. But too often, the keepers of the information dont want to give it up... even when the information belongs to the public.

Now my computers offer a new mystery to unravel. I already had begun mentioning these unusual happenings to acquaintances who work in secretive corners of government and understand such things. Connections Id met through friends and contacts in the northwest Virginia enclaves. Here, so many work foror recently retired fromone of the alphabet agencies. CIA. FBI. NSA. DIA. Theyre concerned about what Im experiencing. They think somethings going on. Somebody, they tell me, is making my computers behave that way.

Theyre also worried about my home phone. Its practically unusable now. Often, when I call home, it only rings once on the receiving end. But on my end, it keeps ringing and then connects somewhere else. Nobodys there. Other times, it disconnects in the middle of calls. There are clicks and buzzes. My friends who call hear the strange noises and ask about them. I get used to the routine of callers suggesting, half-jokingly, Is your phone tapped? My whole familys tired of it. Verizon has been to the house over and over again but cant fix whatevers wrong.

On top of that, my home alarm system has begun chirping a nightly warning that my phone line is having trouble of an unidentified nature. It chirps until I get out of bed and reset it. Every night. Different times.

Im losing sleep.

Im the one who tries to get information from the keepers and I can be relentless. That kind of tenacity doesnt always make friends, not even at CBS News, which has built an impressive record for dogged reporting in the tradition of Edward R. Murrow, Eric Sevareid, and Mike Wallace. But thats okay. Im not in journalism to make friends.

My job is to remind politicians and government officials as to who they work for. Some of them have forgotten. They think they personally own your tax dollars. They think they own the information their agencies gather on the publics behalf. They think theyre entitled to keep that information from the rest of us andmake no mistaketheyre bloody incensed that we want it.

The Benghazi mystery is proving especially difficult. The feds are keeping a suspiciously tight clamp on details. They wont even say how long the attacks went on or when they ended. What they do reveal sometimes contradicts information provided by their sister agencies. And some of the most basic, important questions? They wont address at all.

For months, the Obama administration has dismissed all questions as partisan witch-hunting. And why not? That approach has proven successful, at least among some colleagues in the news media. Theyre apparently satisfied with the limited answers. They arent curious about the gaping holes. The contradictions. Theyre part of the club thats decided only agenda-driven Republicans would be curious about all of that. These journalists dont need to ask questions about Benghazi at the White House press briefings, at Attorney General Eric Holders public appearances, or during President Obamas limited media availabilities. It might make the administration mad. It might even prompt them to threaten the access of uncooperative journalists. Other journalists simply think it would be rudemaybe even sillyto waste time pursuing a topic of such little consequence.

There are so many more important things going on in the world.

But still, Im curious.

What did the president of the United States do all that night during the attacks? With Americans under siege and a U.S. ambassador missinglater confirmed deadwhat actions did the commander in chief take? What decisions did he make?

Im making slow but steady progress in finding answers to some of the mysteries. Some of my sources are in extremely sensitive positions. They say lies are being told. Theyre angry. They want to set the record straight. But they cant reveal themselves on television. It would end their careers and make them pariahs among their peers. Little by little, with their help, Im piecing together bits of the puzzle.

Those involved in the U.S. response to the attacks tell me that the U.S. government was in sheer chaos that night. Those with knowledge of military assets and Special Forces tell me that resources werent fully utilized to try to mount a rescue while the attacks were under way. Those with firsthand knowledge say that the governments interagency Counterterrorism Security Group (CSG) wasnt convened, even though presidential directive requires it. Others whisper of the State Department rejecting security requests and overlooking warning signs in the weeks leading up to the attacks.

There are those in government who dont like it that the sources are talking to me. Why are they speaking to reporters, they grumble to each other, revealing our dirty laundry, telling our secrets? These are powerful people with important connections.

I start to think that may be why my computers are losing so much sleep at night.

| FIRST WARNINGS

M onths before the rest of the world becomes aware of the governments so-called snooping scandal I already know its happening to me.

Snooping scandal .