Conservative super-PAC American Crossroads in a new Web video accused President Obama of misleading the public during Tuesday night's presidential debate over the cause of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
The video, "Act of Terror," released Thursday, compares public statements from Obama, White House press secretary Jay Carney, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the days and weeks following the fatal attack.
"White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice repeatedly referred to the 'video' as the cause of the attack in subsequent administration statements — with Carney specifically affirming that the White House HAD NOT called the Benghazi attack 'terrorism' on September 20," a statement released by American Crossroads said.
American Crossroads criticized the Obama administration for suggesting that the attack in Libya, which killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was sparked by protests over an offensive anti-Muslim Internet video.
In one of the most talked-about moments from the second presidential debate, Obama said he had called the assault an "act of terror" the day after the incident, a comment that drew an immediate rebuke from Romney.
White House transcripts of Obama's Sept. 12 speech show that he said, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation,
alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand
for."
Watch Obama's entire Sept. 12 Rose Garden speech on Hilltube.
The Romney campaign followed up Wednesday, accusing the White House of providing a "shifting account" during the second debate of the events in Libya.
“Though President Obama tried to claim during the debate that he immediately characterized the attack as terrorism, he in fact made generic references to 'acts of terror,'" the Romney campaign said in a statement.
"And for weeks after it occurred, the Obama administration falsely and repeatedly stated the attack was a spontaneous reaction to a YouTube video, even sending its U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice on national television five days after the attack to link it to the video,” the campaign said.
