The comment came in response to debate moderator Martha Raddatz's initial questions on the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya on 9/11, where she cut in to Biden's answer and said "And they wanted more security there."
Biden responded "But we weren’t told they wanted more security there. We did not know they wanted more security there." (Source- Transcript of the debate)
That one comment has created a firestorm of criticism and questions across the Internet.
BuzzFeed immediately countered with the evidence provided during the Congressional hearings this week on the security failures which resulted in the death of the U.S. Ambassador and three other diplomats.
That assertion runs counter to evidence and testimonies that were presented at a House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday, where the committee released five memos requesting additional security, and witnesses from the State Department confirmed that those requests had been denied.
During the hearing, Eric Nordstrom, who was in charge of security in Libya for the State Department, recalled his frustration when he tried to request more agents in Benghazi. He told a regional director, he said, that the toughest part of his job was "not the hardships, it’s not the gunfire, it’s not the threats. It’s dealing, and fighting, against the people, programs, and personnel who are supposed to be supporting me."
He added, "For me, the Taliban is on the inside of the building."
CBS News' Jan Crawford reiterates the point. (H/T Hot Air and TWS)
"Now Biden wanted to obviously stop Romney's momentum from last week and change the subject but he may have some clean up of his own to do today on Libya," reports CBS's Jan Crawford. "He said last night the administration didn't know about additional security requests there in Benghazi. Of course, that was the subject of a House hearing this week where State Department officials said multiple requests for additional security were denied. So you can expect to hear a lot more about this today."
Cables were released showing those requests for extensions of security by the security teams responsible for protecting the U.S. mission staff in Libya.
Sure enough, White House press secretary Jay Carney caught the brunt of it this morning in the White House daily briefing as Ed Henry asks "Doesn't the buck stop at the White House?"
[WATCH]
Other than Biden's smirk, inappropriate laughter and interrupting Ryan 82 times, the claim of ignorance on the need for more security for U.S. personnel in Libya on 9/11 will "haunt" the obama administration in these last weeks before the presidential election. (H/T Hot Air for Gingrich's use of the word "haunt- Video there)
The Romney campaign's official response to Biden's Libya Blunder:
“Vice President Biden continued the Administration’s pattern of misleading the American people about events in Libya. He wrongly stated that the Administration was not aware of requests for more security from our diplomatic facilities in Libya. But we now know from the sworn testimony of two U.S. security officials who were stationed in Libya that there were repeated requests for more security in the face of rising threats. We need leaders who will be truthful with the American people and who are informed about vital issues of national security. Joe Biden’s comments point to the larger failures of the Administration to be completely transparent about the terrorist attacks in Benghazi and the security situations leading up to the attacks.” – Dan Senor, Romney Campaign Senior Adviser
At a campaign Rally in Virginia, Mitt Romney addresses this issue:
"The vice president directly contradicted the sworn testimony of State Department officials.
He's doubling down on denial.
When the vice president of the United States directly contradicts the testimony, the sworn testimony of State Department officials, American citizens have a right to find out what's going on."
If Barack Obama and Joe Biden did not know what was going on in Libya, nor the multiple requests for extensions of security and more security, that were denied, then it shows extreme incompetence within the administration.
If they did know and Joe Biden was directly lying at the debate, then that is even worse and points to a coverup.
Neither scenario bodes well for Barack Obama.