Mercury One charity hits the $1m-raised mark for Oklahoma Tornado relief

Watch Live: Second House Hearing on IRS Scandal

Government

GOP Senator Grills Obama’s Former Chief of Staff About Who Actually Briefed the President on Night of Benghazi Attack

Feb. 13, 2013 4:15pm Jason Howerton

Former Chief of Staff Jack Lew Refuses to Say Who Personally Briefed Obama on Night of Benghazi Attack

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 13: Treasury Secretary nominee Jack Lew speaks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, February 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate Mr. Lew will replace Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary. Credit: Getty Images

Former White House chief of staff Jack Lew dodged a simple and direct line of questioning about who briefed the president on the night of the Benghazi terrorist attack as lawmakers grilled him on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) asked Lew to reveal who briefed President Barack Obama on the night of the terror attack. Just like everyone else who has been asked the same question, Lew said it wasn’t him who briefed Obama on Benghazi and would only say “the national security staff” did the briefing.

“In the armed services hearing last week, Secretary Panetta testified that following his and Gen. Dempsey’s five o’clock meeting on Sept. 11 after the Benghazi attack, they had no further contact with the White House and it was their understanding that it was you as chief of staff were the individual briefing the president,” Burr said. “Is that accurate?”

“Well, Senator, I did speak with the president that evening — the national security staff was working on the issue on a non-stop basis,” Lew responded.

“But who was actually briefing the president? Were you?” Burr interrupted.

Lew squirmed and replied: “I was not — I was in, in the room when the president was briefed, but I was not briefing the president.”

“Because John Brennan testified yesterday it wasn’t him. Secretary Panetta said it wasn’t him. In hearings, the ODNI Clapper said it wasn’t him. Acting DCI Mike Morell said it wasn’t him. Ambassador Kennedy said it wasn’t him, and the FBI said it wasn’t them,” the senator shot back.

“Let me ask you again. Who briefed the president on actually what was happening throughout this seven hour period?”

Lew said the “national security staff” was present, but wouldn’t say if CIA head nominee John Brennan was involved in the briefing and didn’t reveal which officials made up the group.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panneta testified last week that he spoke to Obama just once on the night of the Benghazi attack and he was absent the rest of the night.

(H/T: Weekly Standard)

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (110)

Garry Sills
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:30pm
The problem with today’s society and this whole Obama administration is, there are no consequences to their actions, that get people killed and are destroying our Country one step at a time. The Congress should hold the Main Stream Media accountable, for them not doing their job, and being an accomplice to this dysfunctional and corrupt administration.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Garry Sills
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 3:23pm
Why are these Senators wasting their time with all these idiots? Just bring in the king idiot Obama, put him under oath, and start drilling him with questions. Like where were you on the night of the Benghazi attack? Who did you talk to? Why didn’t you authorize our sources to go in and save our men? Then start impeachment proceedings, and put Obama and his whole administration in jail for murder.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
a242batman
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:49pm
It’s my opinion — those four men were supposed to die. I will NEVER accept that Ambassador Stevens and the others couldn’t have received any help. This administration is determined that the truth will never be known. The main trouble is we have too many in congress who are smooth between the legs. Hopefully all these nominations will be held.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
G-WHIZ
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 1:30pm
The Presidient is only COMMANDER AND CHIEF…when war is declared!! All other times HE is PRESIDENT!! tHE SAME AS: DEMOCRAT, PLURAL IS [DEMOCRATS]. iT’S not the DEMOCRATIC-PARTY, IT’S THE [D E M M O C R A T] PARTY.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- G-WHIZ
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 1:31pm
  …THERE HAS NOT been a DECLAIRED-WAR since WW2!!
  
  Report this comment
ValidFib
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 11:07am
This is a COVER-UP. The video was a lie, they all knew it was a lie and were caught. So the question is what did they know and when did they know it… just like in Watergate except it’s not about a botched break in. It’s about a 7+ hour firefight AT A EMBASSY, cries for help going to deaf ears, help told to ‘stand down’ TWICE when superiors were notified and a DIPLOMAT KILLED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS. Not to mention, he raped. I’m sick of trolls like SENDTHEMETEORS who try to minimize this – just like FAST AND FURIOUS. Get a special council now – they won’t cooperate.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
WilliamORights
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 11:06am
What’s needed is a joint bi-partisan congressional “ad hoc comittee”. Co-Chaired by Maxine Waters, Henry Waxman, Nancy Pelosi and with Barney Frank as an honorary chair (if he is able to sit down after last night’s antics). Members to include Senators Menendez and Shumer. These honorable persons will certainly get to the bottom of this pit of effluvia.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
vcforlife
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 10:59am
reply to SendtheMeteors: Yet Obama took sole credit for killing Bin Laden. He did not credit the Seal Teams or the Military. Obama is a incompetent human being. He is the typical Marxist avoids responsibility and takes credit for other’s hard work. SendtheMeteor you are just a useful idiot. Please do your research and educate yourself. Your ilk is destroying this country. We need hard working Americans not lazy and stupid followers.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
cleansweeplibs
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 10:31am
The MOST corrupt administration in my lifetime. Not one thing that comes out of Obama’s mouth can be believed. Same goes with his appointees!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
paprtowl
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 10:01am
none of the people who have testified before congress have the integrity or fortitude to answer these questions honestly . they are protecting the president and not our country . none of them are worthy of the office they hold or office they aspire to hold . this president is responsible for the loss of pride and protection of the american people .
Log in to Reply Reply
STEEEEVE53
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 9:19am
Mr. Lew said “I was in the room when the President was briefed”, yet never answered the question put to him concerning who briefed the President. The Senator only had to ask this – “You said you were in the room when the President was briefed, correct ?” Which he would have to admit to, and the logical follow-up would then be – “Since you were in the room when the President was being briefed, please identify for us the person who was standing up and speaking to the President about Benghazi.” Most of these pols are lawyers, yet they seem to be clueless about how to get information from someone. I’m just a retired Navy guy.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
WilliamORights
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:54am
Oh and my skin crawls when I look at these Washington freaks.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
WilliamORights
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:44am
They lie. They lie, they lie. They lie and they lie. They are under oath. Why are they not in jail? Where is “equal justice under the law”. When will the obfiscation stop?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- ValidFib
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 11:09am
  It will all be unveiled after the dollar crashes.
  
  Report this comment
Marcus_Junius_Brutus
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:52am
The Benghazi cover-up is beginning to slowly unravel. Obama must be held responsible!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
MastrSGT
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:54am
Is there no one in Washington who can answer a simple direct question?

Who is giving the President his briefing?

UMMM Well that depends on the meaning of the word “is”

They eliminated everyone in the room and after several hours of testimony and months of questions we still don’t have a clear honest straight forward answer from anyone. And they wonder why we don’t trust anyone in Government.

Try this at home with your wife and see how far you get.

Honey?
Yes Dear?
What did you spend 1000 dollars on when you were on your business trip to Washington?
Well honey that depends on what you mean by Dollars.
Then get your suitcase go back to Washington and hope she leaves you with the clothes on your back in the divorce.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
AnnaK117
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:05am
there sure were a lot of people there when obama was briefed. was hillary there, too? so, tell me, who gave the order to lie to the american people and blame it on a video instead of holding a press conference to tell us about the attack and loss of life? a lie that persisted? was told to the families of the fallen at the funeral…hillary told a father, “we will bring those responsible for the video to justice, blah blah.”

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
kalayaan
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 12:44am
If the White House can show proof that Obama is really skeet shooting by showing his picture…I challenge them to show me Obama’s picture being “hands-on” during briefing on the night of Benghazi attack…

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
RamonPreston
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 11:35pm
On that particular night Obama was talking with his son, Jesus.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
chingachgook
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:30pm
The main problem is you have very sharp people who do not want to give you any information. Yes I was int he room yes I spoke with the president but it was not a briefing. That was because he did not have a briefing sheet in front of him. So he did not lie in the truest sense of the word. He just dodged the question knowing that the answer would sink the administration. You need to get someone who want to get the truth out. That is not easy to do.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
reconmarine
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:21pm
There are two parts to this problem. The first is who said what to whom and when. The second and biggest concern are the lies and cover up from Obama and his admin following that night. They are hiding something big and that is an issue.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
33sharks
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 9:38pm
@Jenny Lind I am stunned that so many Americans do not get it, this is not the country I grew up in, and I fear for those I will leave behind one of these days

Here is why so many Americans don’t get it. When they no longer have access to their money and food to eat, only then will they realize what kind of leader the “elected speech performer” truly is. by tht time it will be too late… If you think things are bad now just wait…the “mob rules”.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Mr.Fitnah
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:36pm
Obama is still trying to find out what he did that night.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
HI_Don
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:00pm
I wish these Q&A sessions were more like the ones I had in the military. Even when it had nothing to do with me or even if I didn’t screw up, no-one in the military Chain of Command has time for this kind of crappy questioning. They give you direct questions that demand simple and direct answers – like “Tell me who was in the room exactly, do it now or I will rip off your head and crap down your windpipe!” To that you don’t mumble gibberish about “well, I suppose it depends on your definition of briefed the President or discussed with the president….”

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- chingachgook
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:41pm
  you are exactly correct. It is like these guys are amateur investigators. You know these people are going to try to hid the truth but they are under oath and there is a chance of being charged with perjury. Which means with a good integration you can get the truth out of some of them. There is always a week link. You just have to find it. You need very direct and precise questioning. It is like interviewing a hostile witness because that is what they are. One question for one fact and build on that. The interviewer must not let the subject control the flow of the questioning.
  
  Report this comment
temple62
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:59pm
What a loser!

Ever notice the ONE thing that all of Obama’s minions share when they are being questioned – Plausible deniability.

Clinton couldn’t think of a respectable answer about her failure in Banghazi-Gate so she comes up with, “What difference does it make”? Eric Holder stonewalls during the gun running to the Mexican cartels after stating several times that he was not made aware of the “Fast and Furious” scheme that he himself had revealed to Mexican government authorities. The result was so disastrous that Obama tries it again using Christopher Stevens as a go-between for Syria! Nappy Napolitano says she was “unaware the Menendez had an illegal alien working for him as an aid and the latest clown, Jack Lew squirms trying to say he was unaware of who briefed Obama about the ongoing status of the Americans in Benghazi. The media should all be taken to court and jailed for complicity in perpetuating Obama’s treasonous failures yet to be noticed by the 51% entitlement babies who voted for his sorry ****!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Advection
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:48pm
I’ll tell you why nobody is responsible for Benghazi. It’s because Obama is responsible, and Obama never takes responsibility for any mistakes he’s made. He a child. Obama is a boy.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:29pm
This guy is LYING and stonewalling my ELECTED and PAID representatives. Lock him up. He is nothing but a lackey. An alisnky radical unelected by anyone. Lock him up. Is that too much to ask?
He will not even answer a simple, direct question. He was actually on the Public payroll at the time in question. LOCK HIM UP! HE was standing where someone honest could have stood. HE took up that space. It’s sabotage. LOCK HIM UP!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.