The White House defended Vice President Joe Biden on Friday for his remarks that appeared to contradict testimony in Congress that US diplomats in Libya had sought more security before last month's deadly attack on the Benghazi consulate, dpa reported.
During a vice presidential candidate debate on Thursday evening, Biden had said of the September 11 assault: "We weren't told they wanted more security again. We did not know they wanted more security again."
Testimony by State Department and security personnel on Wednesday to a Congressional inquiry indicated diplomats in Libya had in fact requested more security, and a State Department employee said she had turned down such requests.
"He was speaking directly for himself and for the president. He meant the White House," White House spokesman Jay Carney said, noting that the State Department - not the White House - is responsible for making decisions about security at embassies and consulates.
"No one who testified about this matter suggested that requests for additional security were made to the president or the White House," he said. "So these are issues, appropriately, that are handled by security professionals at the State Department, and that's what he was talking about."