Gibbs: White House did not "intentionally" mislead on consulate attack

The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after it and a nearby safe house were attacked on Sept. 11, 2012. Four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador, were killed.

/ CBS News

(CBS News) A senior campaign adviser to President Obama, Robert Gibbs, defended the White House's reaction to the U.S. Consulate attacks in Libya as criticism of the administration's response has mounted.

"Absolutely no one intentionally or unintentionally misled anybody involved in this," Gibbs said Sunday on "Fox News Sunday," saying the administration is basing its statements on information received from an ongoing investigation.

Last week on CBS News' "Face the Nation," United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice called the protests outside the Benghazi consulate, where four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens were killed, "spontaneous."

"We do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned," Rice told host Bob Schieffer."

"You saw the White House say that this was a terror attack," Gibbs said. "I would say this, as we have learned more and as this investigation continues, I anticipate we will continue to learn more facts about the awful assassination, murder of our great ambassador in Libya."

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., head of the House Intelligence committee, came out for the second week in a row rejecting the idea that the attacks were in reaction to an American-made anti-Muslim video.

"It was clearly designed to be an attack," Rogers said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"I do think it was wildly successful beyond their dreams to be able to kill the American face in Libya, our United States ambassador," Rogers added.

CNN released contents of what they say is Ambassador Stevens' journal found in the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, which includes concerns over an increase in security threats.

As critics blame the Obama administration for not providing enough security for embassy workers, Gibbs said Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's budget would further reduce embassy security overseas. "Paul Ryan has got a budget that would cut diplomatic security. We don't think that's a good idea," he said.

[swm1143]

How do you know when a right winger needs their aluminum tin hat adjusted... when they mention Benghazi....

[gringovejo]

Mike Rogers, wouldn't understand real world intelligence, if his own life totally depended upon it; and neither would any of these would be 'spooks' making these stupid remarks. Politicize all they want. Perhaps the day will come, when each and everyone of them, who thinks they know what they are talking about here, will learn the hard way. And, then, and only then, will they even begin to understand, some of the intricacies involved in the world of intelligence gathering and it's distribution. Until that day arrives, kindly shut up, because you tick those of us, who do know, OFF!

[convertido]

this administration is urinating on the americqan people,s back and then togeather with the media are telling them not to worry it is just raining. dicusting lyes continue to flow out of their mouths.

[IPonUall2]

no, that honor fell to the previous administration.

[swm1143]

Crazy Right Winger... Give it a rest.. we are tired of birth certificates, gay hating, women hating, black hating, hispanic hating.. geez.. and now Benghazi... really, stupid errors happen. It does not mean "cover up" or "conspiracy"... you are just sounding crazy.

[wfw3536]

How sad this administration left our 4 brave Americans without any troops protecting them on no less than 9/11 and for over a week they tried to say it was just a demonstration. What it does show is the incompetence of this administration and how they will try to cover up the truth when even the Libyians admitted a couple of days later it was a planned terrorist attack with heavey weapons.

[swm1143]

No.. what it shows is you are watching crazy right wing news and trying to create a story where there is none.

[ammo17]

if robert gibbs gets involved you know the white house was lying.

[mjvwsr]

Village idiot

[badforu]

In the end our embassy was taken by Libyians. This dosnt leave Obama lead way to act like this is a crime in the USA involving usa citizens. Secure out embassy or withdrawl. Those are the only 2 options. We dont have to go to war with them... but we do have to cut ties till they get control. Eygpt is even worse... now they want to dictate policy to us. No... we just dont see eye to eye and we can talk to them later. Deal with your homelands. Usa needs to reel in Hillary and get out of the middle east.

[bluejacket2-2009]

What was Stevens doing away from his secure embassy in Tripoli on 9/11 anyway? At some point the Ambassador himself must be implicated in the responsibility debate. No consulate is guarded with enough Marines to stop 50 heavily armed militia with rocket grenades.. The GOP and CNN are trying to make a political issue out of this to sway the election..

Reagan was on watch in Lebanon in 1983 when a truck bomb drove up to the front door of a Marine barracks and no one blamed him... this is becoming pure politics and CNN was morally wrong to steal and make public the Stevens diary..

[IPonUall2]

About Reagan, he probably didn't know what was going on around him.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. He should never have been re elected as he became both a puppet and a fool.
I blame VP BUSH(former CIA director) for not stepping in to demand a medical reason to take charge that's what the job is for.
Some of us know Reagan should have been impeached along with Bush and their staffs thrown in jail. That administration was subject to so many criminal probes it makes AG Gonzales's "I don't recall" under the other bush's administration's statements look as truthful as Reagan's.

[CaptainSmollett]

Well Mr. Gibbs, irrefutable video evidence would prove you wrong. Do you take everyone for fools?

And I suppose Obama didn't "intentionally" drive our economy into a ditch either. Does that make it okay?

[cjg196]

It baffles me why Republicans keep saying Obama drove the economy into the ground. W inherited a surplus, and like a spoiled teenager with Dad's credit card he went on a spending spree and maxed out the credit, then couldn't make the monthly payments... Then he grinned and shrugged and passed it off to Obama to fix. From a personal point of view, when Obama came into office my finances were in a mess because of the housing and stock market bubble bursting - the national credit card was maxed out and so were mine. Four years later things are much better and I have great hope they will continue to improve. How can you people be so partisan that you can't acknowledge that this president saved a sinking ship? There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are floating higher every day. Be honest and think outside your narrow little party lines. America is only great if we all pull together.

[IPonUall2]

cjg196

It doesn't baffle me. I know why.
The Republicans have changed their goals from a representative republic to empire building for fascists.
They are either too lost in their own worlds to notice, or know too well.
For example NJ Gov Christie...lost.......McConnell.....knows too well.
One lost in policy, the other making his own.
Their actions clearly show they support big corporations, wealthy individuals, and demand less government controls, benefiting corporations allowing them to affect our lives in ways only government should have.
Because we have a "Federal Reserve", enacted in 1913 by Wilson in exchange for election support, our economy today is driven by the biggest bankers on the planet for profit.
Wilson apologized to the American public for his blunder and being mislead into signing it to law.
Think of the effect if every dollar printed as a check that when cashed pays interest on top of the principal. The warning by the founding fathers must be understood and laws enacted concerning banks that they never set the price of a dollar.

[alanrobisch]

Gibbs lied when he said the suppression of the truth by the admintstration was not done for political purposes. It was clear from the get go he was lieing and the fox news network was the only one investigating this. The msm had only one goal attack mitt Romney