If Barack Obama hoped to calm people down over the panty-bomber incident, he just failed massively. Sunday morning, White House Counterterrorism Chief John Brenan tried to get the Republicans to share in the blame.
Not only did it not work, but the Republicans are coming forward to say Brennan is totally full of it and are mad as all get out.
John Brennan went on Meet the Press and told David Gregory he briefed four Republicans and then said, “I explained to them that he was in FBI custody. That Mr. Abdulmatallab was in fact talking, that he was cooperating at that point. They knew that ‘in FBI custody’ means that there’s a process then you follow as far as Mirandizing and presenting him in front of the magistrate.”
He then accused the GOP of playing politics with national security.
There is just one problem.
The four Republicans have come forward. One said the “briefing” so casual and short that it was not even on a secure phone line and reported no information not already known.
Perhaps worse for Brennan, Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) said Brennan never mentioned mirandizing the terrorist and, despite Brennan’s assumption that mirandizing the bomber was implied by saying the FBI was holding him, none of the Republicans briefed thought the White House would actually be stupid enough to do that.
Instead of making the GOP run the other way and drop the issue, the White House just waved a red flag in front of a charge bull.
Redstate
Not only did it not work, but the Republicans are coming forward to say Brennan is totally full of it and are mad as all get out.
John Brennan went on Meet the Press and told David Gregory he briefed four Republicans and then said, “I explained to them that he was in FBI custody. That Mr. Abdulmatallab was in fact talking, that he was cooperating at that point. They knew that ‘in FBI custody’ means that there’s a process then you follow as far as Mirandizing and presenting him in front of the magistrate.”
He then accused the GOP of playing politics with national security.
There is just one problem.
The four Republicans have come forward. One said the “briefing” so casual and short that it was not even on a secure phone line and reported no information not already known.
Perhaps worse for Brennan, Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) said Brennan never mentioned mirandizing the terrorist and, despite Brennan’s assumption that mirandizing the bomber was implied by saying the FBI was holding him, none of the Republicans briefed thought the White House would actually be stupid enough to do that.
Instead of making the GOP run the other way and drop the issue, the White House just waved a red flag in front of a charge bull.
Redstate
