Fox News correspondent James Rosen badgered State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki Tuesday afternoon regarding the overdue capture of Ahmed abu Khattalah, a key suspect in the 2012 Benghazi attacks.
Psaki had previously told AP reporter Matt Lee that it should not come as a surprise that a suspected terrorist would be more likely to show up for an interview than he or she would for a scheduled meeting with the U.S. special forces. "The question being put to you, it seems to me, is why U.S. special forces couldn't have an unscheduled meeting with this individual in a period of time less than, as you put it, just a few years?" Rosen asked.
The State Department spokeswoman dodged the question, telling Rosen that there are a myriad of reasons why individuals, including terrorists, meet with reporters.
Rosen pressed her, "Follow your own logic, the next question to be propounded to you is, why didn’t we pose as a reporter to capture him, then?"
"Well, we appreciate your view. If you’re volunteering yourself for future endeavors, we’ll take that into account," Psaki responded in a snarky tone.
Relentless, Rosen told her "You’re still not addressing the central question, Jen." He continued, "You’re not answering the question of why a reporter was able to get within six inches of this guy, and U.S. special forces weren’t, for more than two years. What is the answer to that?"
Psaki replied, "Reporters have interviewed a range of terrorists in the past. There's nothing new about that." She praised the Obama administration’s efforts to capture Ahmed abu Khattalah, telling Rosen that the capture was done "as expeditiously as possible," and that they were pleased with the "successful" outcome.