On Friday’s “America Live” on the Fox News Channel, Chip Woods, the father of slain Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods said the lack of response from the Obama administration on Sept. 11, 2012 showed “cowardice.” And he labeled as “murderers” the administration officials who stalled the decision to act immediately to the terrorist attack that claimed his son’s life, and lied about it afterward.
While Woods disapproves of the White House’s response to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, he told host Megyn Kelly that his decision to speak out had nothing to do with politics.
“This is not about politics,” Woods said. “If it were about politics it would dishonor my son’s death. This has to do with honor, integrity, justice.”
Despite three separate orders to “stand down” during the attack, Woods’ son went to the consulate to try and save the U.S. ambassador.
“This news that he disobeyed his orders does not surprise me,” Woods said. “My son was an American hero. And he was going — he had the moral strength to do what was right even if that would professionally cost him his job, even if it could potentially cost him his life. He was a hero who was willing to do whatever was necessary to respond to their cries for help.”
“If in fact those people in the White House were as courageous and had the moral strength that my son Ty had, immediately within minutes of the first attack they would have given permission — not denied permission — for those C-130s to have gone up there.”
“I don’t know much about weapons,” he continued. “But it’s coming out right now that they actually had laser targets focused on the mortars that were being sent to kill my son and they refused to pull the trigger. They refused to send those C-130s. To me — I’m an attorney. This may not meet the legal test of murder, but to me that is not only cowardice, but those people who made the decision, and who knew about the decision and lied about it are murderers of my son.”
“That’s a very strong statement for me to make,” he conceded, “but for their benefit they need to clear their conscience, they need to stand up and they need to change the direction of their lives. And I want to say right now, you know who you are. I totally forgive you. But I hope years from now, you change the direction of your life for your benefit.”
Woods begged the White House to acknowledge it had reacted wrongly and lied about the initial response.
“This is all a pack of lies,” Woods said. “And that’s one thing: As a father whose son was killed, I do not appreciate lies. I do not appreciate cowardice, and I do not appreciate lies. I’m a loving person … but I am very glad the facts are coming out right now. I do not — the reason I’m even speaking out — our family have made the decision not to say anything. But after the facts came out that in real time the White House, from the minute after the first bullet was fired, they watched my son. They denied his pleas for help. My son violated his orders in order to protect the lives of at least 30 people. He risked his life to be a hero.”
“I wish that the leadership in the White House had that same level of moral courage and heroism that my son displayed with his life.”
