"Days after a leading Democrat claimed the White House was involved in leaking sensitive security information, President Obama and his advisers still won't give the American people a straight answer on who's to blame. It's time for this White House to finally come clean and tell voters what they knew and when they knew it, so those responsible can be held to account for their contemptible conduct." — Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman
President Obama And His Advisers Have Refused To Provide Straight Answers About The White House's Involvement In Leaking National Security Information:
When Asked If He Could "Say Flatly That Nobody From The White House Was Involved In The National Security Leaks That Are Being Investigated," Spokesman Jay Carney Did Not Deny White House Involvement. FOX NEWS' ED HENRY: "Can you say flatly that nobody from the White House was involved in the national security leaks that are being investigated?" CARNEY: "Well Ed as you know this is a matter being investigated by two experienced prosecutors. I can't specifically speak about it. I can point you to the statements of the President, the statements I've made in the past about this, about the seriousness with which he takes this issue..." (White House Press Briefing, 7/26/12)
- When Asked Pointedly If He Could "Today Say That Nobody From The White House Was Involved," Carney Asked: "In Which Particular Case?" HENRY: "One of your past statements from June 11 when you said it's absurd when Senator McCain suggested people inside the White House leaked this information for political gain. In June, David Axelrod flatly said on ABC that nobody in the White House was involved and David Axelrod was on MSNBC yesterday and said the President did not leak anything and then followed up by saying the President did not authorize any leaks. That's different. That leaves open the door that there were unauthorized leaks by White House people. So, have you moved the goal posts?" CARNEY: "No, Ed, I think you're conflating a lot of things. All of those statements are completely true. I stand by what I've said and Mr. Axelrod and the President has said..." HENRY: "He said no one from the White House was involved. Can you today say that nobody from the White House was involved?" CARNEY: "Involved in which particular case are you talking about? I can tell you that the President takes this very seriously." (White House Press Briefing, 7/26/12)
When Told It Is "Very Obvious The White House Is Leaking Classified Information," Senior Obama Adviser David Axelrod Did Not Deny The Charge And Called It A "Diversion." MSNBC's JOE SCARBOROUGH: "It is very obvious, it is very obvious the White House is leaking classified information." AXELROD: "Well, Joe, I can tell you, that the President of the United States did not leak classified information, as Mitt Romney suggested yesterday, didn't authorize the leak of classified information, as Mitt Romney suggested yesterday, and I think it was largely a diversion because what's he going to talk about?" (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 7/25/12)
- When Asked "Why Is It Leaking Out Of The White House?" Axelrod Again Didn't Deny White House Leaks, Saying "There Are Leaks Out Of Every Administration." SCARBOROUGH: "Why is it leaking out of the White House? How do we stop it?" AXELROD: "Joe, there's an investigation going — well, you stop it by sending strong signals. Strong signals have been sent. There are leaks out of every administration." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 7/25/12)
Military Leaders Have Said These National Security Leaks Are Going To "Cost People Their Lives":
Commander Of Special Operations, Admiral William McRaven, On National Security Leaks: "Sooner Or Later It's Going To Cost People Their Lives, Or It's Going To Cost Us Our National Security." BLITZER: "I'm anxious to get your sense about the leaks, about the bin Laden raid, whether it did undermine sources and methods, it went too far, there are investigations as you know on the Hill right now. Can you share a thought with us on how you feel about all this?" MCRAVEN: "Well we're never happy when leaks occur, obviously. We go to great lengths to protect our national security, very great lengths to protect our sources and methods. So all of that we guard very carefully. Unfortunately not everyone guards that very carefully. I think what you've seen is the Secretary and the President and Capitol Hill are taking these leaks very, very seriously, as they should. And we need to do the best we can to clamp down on it, because sooner or later it's going to cost people their lives, or it's going to cost us our national security. So it is important." (2012 Aspen Security Forum, The Aspen Institute, Aspen, CO, 7/25/12)
But Just Last Month, President Obama Flatly Denied His White House Was Responsible For The Leaks:
President Obama: "The Notion That My White House Would Purposely Release Classified National Security Information Is Offensive." PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: "The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. It's wrong. And people I think need to have a better sense of how I approach this office and how the people around me here approach this office." (President Barack Obama, Press Conference, 6/8/12)
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: "Any Suggestion That The White House Has Leaked Sensitive Information For Political Purposes Has No Basis In Fact..." CARNEY: "This administration takes all appropriate and necessary steps to prevent leaks of classified information or sensitive information that could risk ongoing counterterrorism or intelligence operations. Any suggestion that the White House has leaked sensitive information for political purposes has no basis in fact and has been denied by the authors themselves, as one of the authors of The New York Times story on Obama's counterterrorism record said, 'The notion that the White House prompted the story or controlled our reporting and writing is absurd.'" (White House Press Gaggle, 6/7/12)
Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - Obama Advisers Continue To Stonewall On Leaks Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/302135