In a radio interview today with host Michael Smerconish, President Obama repeated his assertion that he “was not personally aware of any request” for additional security in the lead-up to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, ABC News is reporting.
The interview was given on the same day that news has emerged that SEAL officers hearing gunfire at the consulate were told to stand down rather than respond to requests for assistance.
Asked about the changing narrative around the events that took place in Libya, the president stuck with his story that the administration has given the American people the information that it had at the time and said he was frustrated by attempts to “politicize” the attack.
“What’s true is that the intelligence was coming in and evolving as more information came up,” the president replied. “And what is true, and this is something that the American people can take to the bank — is that my administration plays this stuff straight; we don’t play politics when it comes to American national security.”
He continued, saying that what “we have recently done throughout my presidency and what we did in this circumstance is as information came in we gave it to the American people and as we got new information we gave that to the American people. And that includes by the way members of American Congress, so one of the things that always frustrates me about this town is when people go out there and try to politicize issues despite knowing that we have given them all this information.”
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Reaction on Twitter to the president’s remarks was fast and furious.
@jaketapper Well, Jake he would have known had be attended the security briefings!!
— valerie nelson (@valeriernelson) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper that's a joke, right? U believe his lies? R u even a journalist?
— Debbie R. (@DebbieRevor) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper maybe b/c he skipped 50% of his security briefings? would be a great follow up question no? #TyroneJones
— Madlaw (@madlaw1071) October 26, 2012
https://twitter.com/rg_here/status/261926591637114880
@jaketapper – If that is true then he is completely incompetent, or maybe he should have attended more security briefings.
— Southern Mouthpiece (@notatwit72) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper And yet he is the Commander In Chief. Lazy, incompetent, a liar or all of the above.
— OCMama Patriot (@OCMamaPatriot) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper Then he should be FIRING everyone in that failed, incompetent chain of command. I'm sure they would have interesting info #tcot
— Reaganite71 (@FayettnamHog) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper you're joking right? and you're going to let him get by with that?
— Judy (@jwv52) October 26, 2012
https://twitter.com/PretzelFan/status/261926765767839745
https://twitter.com/GOPandME/status/261926948727566336
https://twitter.com/bobby_crankovic/status/261927042533167104
https://twitter.com/danobrien1972/status/261927248041484288
https://twitter.com/marthakathleen/status/261927319491448832
https://twitter.com/tess46/status/261927356107726848
@MelissaTweets @jaketapper Well that settles that then doesn't it. Hacks
— Rob Tam (@robtr2) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper And you believed him? How did you get a job as Journalist if you do not investigate what he says?
— Drewed (@Drewed1) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper How about requests for military support during the attack? Did the seals disobey orders to "stand down" when they went to help?
— Kurt Hall (@khall1026) October 26, 2012
@jaketapper Barck Obama: "and, this is something the American people can take to the bank…." Get out the duct tape – my head is exploding
— John Taylor (@JTofCaroline) October 26, 2012
https://twitter.com/GOPandME/status/261929218219319297
@jaketapper Maybe not aware of consulate attack and their request for help either? If not aware of anything, he's not doing his job.
— Debra (@dqdebra) October 26, 2012
https://twitter.com/RepRepublic/status/261930658287476737
@jaketapper and that excuses what happened to our fellow Americans and the lies Team Obama told about the video later? Outrageous!
— Eric D. Dell (@EDDESQ) October 26, 2012
https://twitter.com/billystagg/status/261931343645138944
@jaketapper Better question is did POTUS know abt. developing sit. as it happened–and WHO gave "stand down" order that may have cost lives?
— Bootsie (@AugustusBeau) October 26, 2012
Those blaming Tapper for not following up should note again that the president’s comments were made not at a press briefing but as part of a syndicated radio interview. The president then headed to the White House for a 30-minute live MTV special called “Ask Obama Live: An Interview with the President.”
Audio of the entire interview is available on SoundCloud.
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