WH Spox Asked to 'Categorically' Say Obama Admin. Didn't 'Publicly Lie' About Iran Deal — Watch His Response

When asked by a reporter Monday if he can say "categorically" that no senior Obama administration official “has ever lied publicly about any aspect of the Iran nuclear deal,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest seemingly replied, “No.”

“No Kevin” @kevincorke asks Josh Earnest if he can say Sr Admin officials didn't lie publicly re: #IranNuclearDeal pic.twitter.com/eWbN0q7EXT

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 9, 2016

Without addressing the "lie" question, Earnest continued to tout the benefits of the Iran nuclear deal as perceived by the White House.

"I think that the facts of this agreement and the benefits of this agreement make clear that the national security of the United States of America has been enhanced and Iran’s effort to acquire a nuclear weapon has been set back,” he said.

Fox News White House correspondent Kevin Corke offered Earnest a second chance to answer his initial question on whether any senior administration official had "lied publicly" about the agreement.

"There is no evidence that that ever occurred," Earnest replied.

Watch the full exchange at the 1:43:57 mark:

The question surely comes as a response to a stunning New York Times profile in which Ben Rhodes, national security adviser to President Barack Obama, reportedly revealed that the administration pushed out intentionally misleading information to Americans in order to sell the deal.

Rhodes’s assistant, Ned Price, also spoke about how the administration was able to use its “compadres” in the media to get its message out.

After some backlash, Rhodes issued a statement that painted a very different picture than what was portrayed in the Times article.

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