E-Mails Link White House to False Benghazi Blame-YouTube Narrative; Networks Ignore

Newly-surfaced e-mails link the White House directly to false talking points that were disseminated days after the Benghazi attacks in September of 2012, but the broadcast networks ignored the story on Tuesday evening.

As Judicial Watch reported, e-mails from the White House to then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice instructed her to "underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy." Rice was roundly criticized for appearing on five Sunday talk shows and blaming the attacks on a protest of an anti-Islam internet video, information that turned out to be false.

Nonetheless, the broadcast networks ignored this important new development in the post-Benghazi saga. Instead, ABC devoted a segment to the Amanda Knox trial in Italy and each of the networks gave a news brief to the announcement of the cast members of the new Star Wars movie.

Fox News's Special Report led with the story. As anchor Shannon Bream reported: "There is new evidence tonight that Obama administration aides were primarily concerned with protecting the President's public image seven weeks before the election, and advancing the false explanation blaming an internet video for the Benghazi terrorist attacks."

Below is a partial transcript of FNC's April 29 report at the top of the 6 PM EDT Special Report with Bret Baier:

SHANNON BREAM: There is new evidence tonight that Obama administration aides were primarily concerned with protecting the President's public image seven weeks before the election, and advancing the false explanation blaming an internet video for the Benghazi terrorist attacks. Chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge says the new revelations go to the heart of the administration.

CATHERINE HERRIDGE: An e-mail sent three days after the Benghazi attack leads directly to the White House and suggests a senior adviser to President Obama played a essential role preparing former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice for the Sunday talk shows where she blamed an anti-Muslim internet video for the deaths of four Americans. Among more than 100 pages of documents obtained by Judicial Watch as a part of a federal lawsuit is an e-mail from Ben Rhodes, an assistant to the President and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. With the subject line "PREP CALL with Susan," Rhodes writes to a dozen members of the administration's inner circle, including key players on the White House communications team such as spokesman Jay Carney, that one of the goals is, quote, "to underscore that these protests are rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy."