Former National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor addressed Fox News Special Report host Bret Baier as "dude" Thursday and said he could hardly remember how he helped change the Benghazi talking points because it was "two years ago."
The previously unreleased White House emails this week revealed a coordinated attempt to protect President Barack Obama during the 2012 election campaign and place the blame for the terrorist attack on the anti-Islamic YouTube video and not a "broader failure of policy."
Baier pressed Vietor on his role in changing the talking points by adding a line about the administration warning the day before the attacks of "social media reports calling for demonstrations," in order to bolster the false idea that the attack was the spontaneous result of a riot against the video. Vietor affirmed this, but when Baier asked him if he'd changed "attacks" to "demonstrations," he got amnesia.
"Dude, this was like two years ago," Vietor said. "We're still talking about the most mundane process."
"Dude," Baier sarcastically shot back, "it is the thing that everybody is talking about."
Vietor's math is also off. The attack that killed four Americans took place Sept. 11, 2012, less than 20 months ago.
Full exchange:
BRET BAIER: The 14th is the day you're talking about. According to the e-mails and the time line, the CIA circulates new talking points after they've removed the mention of al Qaeda, and then at 6:21 the White House-- you -- add a line about the administration warning of September 10th of social media reports calling for demonstrations. True?
TOMMY VIETOR: I believe so.
BAIER: Did you also change "attacks" to "demonstrations" in the talking points?
VIETOR: Maybe. I don't really remember.
BAIER: You don't remember?
VIETOR: Dude, this was like two years ago. We're still talking about the most mundane process.
BAIER: Dude, it is the thing that everybody is talking about.
VIETOR: We're talking about the process of editing talking points. That's what bureaucrats do all day long. Your producers edit scripts multiple times.
Vietor showed off the usual cavalier attitude of the White House toward Benghazi with this tweet before going on air. In fact, it was exactly a year ago that White House spokesman Jay Carney said Benghazi "was a long time ago."
Guessing @BretBaier invited me to come on @SpecialReport to talk #Benghazi as a #TBT thing since it happened in 2012 but tune in!
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) May 1, 2014