Fox News Claims New Information Shows Obama Was At The White House During Benghazi Attack

Fox: New Evidence Shows That Obama Was In The White House The Night Of The Attack. On July 31, Fox News' chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge claimed that the Benghazi Select Committee identified gaps in the timeline of events including President Obama's schedule the night of the attacks and had finally revealed that Obama was in fact at the White House:

HERRIDGE: With the Benghazi Select Committee building a timeline to identify gaps including the president's schedule that night, a senior democrat confirmed on Fox News today that he was at the White House.  [Fox News, The Kelly File, 7/31/14]

This Has Been Public Information For More Than A Year

Photo Taken On September 11, 2012 Shows Obama In The Oval Office During Night Of The Attacks. On September 11, 2012 President Obama was being briefed in the White House on the Benghazi attack by Deputy National Security Advisor, Denis McDonough as documented by an official White House photo public since January 2013:

[Flickr.com, Accessed 8/1/14]

Reports Show That Obama Was Fully Engaged Throughout The Attack

Defense Secretary Panetta: The President Told Them To Deploy Forces As Quickly As Possible. In early 2013 The Huffington Post reported that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey met with President Obama when they learned of the attack and the president responded immediately:

Several committee Republicans pressed Panetta and Dempsey about their discussions with President Barack Obama on that fateful day and his level of involvement, suggesting that after the initial conversation the commander in chief was disengaged as Americans died.

Panetta said he and Dempsey were meeting with Obama when they first learned of the Libya assault. He said the president told them to deploy forces as quickly as possible. [The Huffington Post, 2/7/13, via Media Matters]

Gen. Martin Dempsey: Obama's Staff “Was Engaged With The National Military Command Center Pretty Constantly” Throughout The Attack. Dempsey testified during a February 7, 2013 congressional hearing that the president's staff was engaged with the military command center constantly during the attack, “which is the way it would normally work” (emphasis added):  

SEN. KELLY AYOTTE (R-NH): But just to be clear, that night he didn't ask you what assets we had available and how quickly they could respond and how quickly we could help those people there -

PANETTA: No. I think the biggest problem that night, Senator, is that nobody knew really what was going on there.

AYOTTE: And there was no follow up during the night, at least from the White House directly?

PANETTA: No. No, there wasn't.

DEMPSEY: I would, if I could just, to correct one thing. I wouldn't say there was no follow-up from the White House. There was no follow-up, to my knowledge, with the president.  But his staff was engaged with the national military command center pretty constantly through the period, which is the way it would normally work. [C-SPAN, 2/7/13, via Media Matters]