Friday, May 10, 2013

White House meets privately with press to discuss Benghazi

From Breitbart:


In the White House’s latest efforts at transparency, the administration announced to reporters that it would brief reporters on the latest shocking developments about the Benghazi situation … behind closed doors. Politico reports that the meeting started at approximately 12:45 PM ET, and that it moved the normal press briefing to 1:45 PM ET. Jay Carney, White House press secretary, did not comment on whether the meeting took place.

The off-the-record session was announced to reporters in the wake of an ABC News report showing that White House and State Dept. officials were involved in revising the now-discredited CIA talking points about the attack on Benghazi.
The administration routinely exerts pressure on reporters it feels are not kind enough in their coverage. Reporters like Cheryl Attkisson of CBS News have felt the hand of their bosses for “wading dangerously close to advocacy” with regard to Benghazi. No doubt this “off-the-record” meeting was designed to get all the president’s horses and all the president’s men to put the Benghazi humpty dumpty together again.
UPDATE: Reporters not invited to the off-the-record briefing are reportedly incredibly unhappy about it:
UPDATE II: Jake Tapper of CNN reports that the regularly scheduled press briefing has been delayed even further:
UPDATE III: Politico now reports that the meeting has been characterized as "deep background." The meeting itself is considered "off-the-record." White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "Deep background means that the info presented by the briefers can be used in reporting but the briefers can't be quoted." So expect a fair number of "White House sources" to appear in reportage for the next few days.
Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013).

11 comments:

Unknown said...

“Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship.”
― Bruce Coville

Always On Watch said...

I'm watching Jay Carney right now.

Trying to be objective.

His body language tells me that he's cornered.

The reporters' body language tells me that they don't believe a damn word that Carney is saying.

Always On Watch said...

Clarification: I am trying to be objective. Carney isn't, of course.

Always On Watch said...

Now the presser is discussing the IRS issue -- the targeting of Tea Party organizations.

There is an entire HERD of pigs flying across the sky!

Pastorius said...

A FLOCK of pigs.

Unknown said...

Remember Obama joking about sending the IRS on opponents in 2009?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124260113149028331.html

Nicoenarg said...

Pasto and AOW,

LOL!!

Always On Watch said...

Will,
I do indeed recall that IRS "joke" from Obama.

The reason that I well recall it: my mother was an IRS auditor and always telling me just how dangerous the audit tool can be -- if IRS were to use audits against political opponents.

Nicoenarg said...

The government of Argentina routinely uses AFIP (our version of IRS) to threaten their opponents. Its as common here as inhaling oxygen when one breathes.

Anonymous said...

The amount of news in one day is overwhelming.
But what about randy Jackson?

Pastorius said...

Well, he left American Idol. Apparently, he said, "This whole place is pitchy. I'm outta here, bro."