"This morning, President Obama's advisers again left us with more questions than answers on the Administration's response to the terrorist attack in Libya. After spending weeks struggling to explain the attacks, the Obama campaign declined to answer the simple question of whether or not the President met with his National Security Council before campaigning in Nevada on September 12th. The American people have questions, and they deserve nothing less than full and complete answers from the White House." — Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson
This Morning, David Axelrod Refused To Answer Questions About When President Obama Met With The National Security Council On The Attacks In Libya:
Obama Campaign Strategist David Axelrod Refused To Answer Questions About If President Obama Met "With The National Security Council Before He Went To Campaigning In Nevada." WALLACE: "Did he meet with the National Security Council before he went to campaigning in Nevada?" AXELROD: Chris, I assure you that the president was in contact with all those who had information and responsibility in the national security chain about this incident. Again, let me stress: there isn't anyone on this planet who feels a greater sense of responsibility for our diplomats, for our service people, who takes this more personally than the President of the United States, and he is determined to get to the bottom of what happened, to bring these killers to justice, these terrorists to justice, and to make sure whatever adjustments we have to make, we make." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 10/14/12)
It's Not The First Unanswered Question — The Obama Team Still Won't Answer Why They Blamed The Benghazi Attacks On A Video Instead Of Terrorism:
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, On September 14: "What I'm Saying Is That We Have No Evidence At This Time To Suggest Otherwise That There Was A Preplanned Or Ulterior Instigation Behind That Unrest." REPORTER: "And if I could just follow up on -- you earlier said the cause of the unrest was a video, then you repeated something similar later on. And I just want to be clear, that's true of Benghazi and Cairo?" CARNEY: "I'm saying that that -- the incident in Benghazi, as well as elsewhere, that these are all being investigated. What I'm saying is that we have no evidence at this time to suggest otherwise that there was a preplanned or ulterior instigation behind that unrest." (White House Press Briefing, Washington, DC, 9/14/12)
Ambassador Susan Rice, On September 16: "What Happened In Benghazi, Was, In Fact, Initially A Spontaneous Reaction" Sparked By The Video. GREGORY: "Can you say definitively that the attacks on our consulate in Libya that killed Ambassador Stevens and others there, security personnel -- that was spontaneous? Was it a planned attack? Was there a terrorist element to it?" ... RICE: "But putting together the best information that we have available to us today -- our current assessment is that what happened in Benghazi was, in fact, initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo -- almost a copycat of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 9/16/12)
President Obama, On September 18: "You Had A Video That Was Released By Somebody Who Lives Here... This Caused Great Offense In Much Of The Muslim World." LETTERMAN: "Is this an act of war? Are we at war now? OBAMA: "No..." LETTERMAN: "What happened here?" OBAMA: "Here's what happened. You had a video that was released by somebody who lives here, sort of shadowy character who is extremely offensive video directed at Muhammad and Islam, making fun of the Prophet Muhammad. And, so, this caused great offense in much of the Muslim world." (CBS's, "The Late Show With David Letterman," 9/18/12)
The Obama Administration Is Still Struggling To Answer Questions About Who Was Aware Of The Requests For More Security In Benghazi:
Vice President Biden: "We Weren't Told They Wanted More Security Again. We Did Not Know They Wanted More Security Again." RADDATZ: "And they wanted more security there." BIDEN: "Well, we weren't told they wanted more security again. We did not know they wanted more security again. And by the way, at the time we were told exactly -- we said exactly what the intelligence community told us that they knew. That was the assessment." (Vice President Joe Biden, Vice Presidential Debate, Danville, KY, 10/11/12)
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: "Requests From The Hundreds Of Diplomatic Facilities Around The Country For Security Personnel ... Are Made To The State Department. They Are Not Made To The White House." CARNEY: "What is also the case is that requests from the hundreds of diplomatic facilities around the country for security personnel or other related matters are made to the State Department. They are not made to the White House. And that's just a simple statement of fact. It is certainly the case that this President believes that we need to assess what happened in Benghazi and we need to take action -- appropriate action to ensure that it does not happen again." (White House Press Briefing, 10/12/12)
And The Obama Administration Still Hasn't Answered Whether The President Was Briefed On Threats To U.S. Diplomats In Benghazi Before The Attacks:
On September 10, The Associated Press Reported President Obama Had "Been Briefed" On The "Government's Preparedness" Ahead Of Potential September 11 Attacks. "President Barack Obama has been briefed by his top national security aides on the government's preparedness ahead of the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The White House said Monday the president and his advisers discussed specific measures the administration was taking to prevent 9/11-related attacks. They also discussed steps that were being taken to protect Americans abroad and U.S. forces serving in combat zones." ("Obama Briefed On 9/11 Anniversary Preparations," The Associated Press, 9/10/12)
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, On If President Obama Was Briefed On Threats To U.S. Diplomats In Benghazi Before The Attacks: "I Cannot Get Into The Specific Details Of A Classified Briefing And A Classified Document." CARNEY: "In advance of which this administration, just like the previous administration, took action to prepare for potential acts against the United States or our allies that might take place as part of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in 2001." ... QUESTION: "That's different, though. What I'm asking is actionable intelligence -- I understand that distinction. But you're saying the president, on 9/10, was not told broadly about the consulate in Benghazi being targeted several times, there being problems, there being concerns about it, the ambassador wanting more security? He wasn't told about any of that?" CARNEY: "Ed, again, I cannot get into the specific details of a classified briefing and a classified document." (White House Press Briefing, 10/12/12)
Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - More Questions Than Answers On Libya Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/303151