Report states Stevens requested security, but turned it down twice. (military, terrorists)

[softblueyz]

I wonder where this report came from.

It appears that in August 2012 Ambassador Stevens requested security upgrades in writing (cable) to US military (General Ham?), but shortly thereafter when General Ham spoke to Stevens, Stevens turned down additional security. Stevens, during a second conversation with General Ham, again turned down additional security. If indeed this is true, since it's verbal, see below for the possible reason.

A report today contends that Ambassador Christopher Stevens inexplicably twice rejected offers for security upgrades at the U.S. operation in Benghazi, Libya, in just the few weeks before he died.

McClatchy Foreign Staff writer Nancy Youssef wrote from Cairo that “two government officials” said that Stevens, who had raised concerns over security at Benghazi in writing, turned down two verbal offers of additional security from Army Gen. Carter Ham, now retired but then head of the U.S. Africa Command.

“He didn’t say why. He just turned it down,” the news organization said a “defense official who asked not to be identified” confirmed.

Such refusals previously have not been reported in the growing scandal over how there was a known danger to Americans in that location, but the federal government did little to help, and then nothing at all when the al-Qaida-linked terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2012

But the report noted “one person familiar with the events” suggested a rejection from Stevens would have been following “an understanding within the State Department that officials in Libya ought not to request more security, in part because of concerns about the political fallout of seeking a larger military presence in a country that was still being touted as a foreign policy success.”

Report says Stevens turned down security offer

Was General Ham prepared to provide the extra security? Does General Ham know the reason(s) why Stevens changed his mind??? There had to be some exchange, at least when Ham and Stevens were face-to-face, as to why the request in the first place, then declining the offer twice.