In an interview with CBS News, President Barack Obama claimed not to know that his former Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was using a personal email address to conduct government business while in office.
On Friday, Obama told CBS Newsâ Bill Plante that he learned about Clintonâs email address:
ââŚThe same time that everybody else learned it, through news reports,â the president told CBS Newsâ Bill Plante Friday about when he learned about Clintonâs email address.
Obamaâs statement seems to contradict White House Press Secretary Josh Earnestâs announcement that the President did, in fact, know about her email address, since he emailed her directly on several occasions.
This isnât the first time the commander-in-chief has claimed not to know about a controversial issue. In a Facebook post on Monday, congressional candidate Dan Bongino wrote:
Hereâs a quick look back at some other times the President has claimed innocence, as pointed out by both Bongino and former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson:
- Fast and Furious:Â When asked about the gun-running scandal that resulted in the death of border agent Brian Terry in 2010, President Obama told reporters on Oct. 11, 2011, âI heard on the news about this story, that, uh, Fast and Furious.â
- NSA spying on foreign leaders: President Obama said he didnât know his administration was spying on foreign leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He told the press on Oct. 28, 2013 that, âI can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG report before the IG report had been leaked through the press.â
- The General David Petraeus sex scandal: Petraeus, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was forced to resign in Nov. 2012 after news surfaced that he was having an affair with his biographer. The White House repeatedly refused to answer questions about when the President was finally briefed about Petraeusâ situation.
- The IRSâs targeting of conservative groups: President Obama told the media in May 2013 that he first learned about the IRSâs improper targeting âfrom the same news reports that I think most people learned about this. I think it was on Friday.â
- The Justice Departmentâs wiretapping of AP and Fox News reporters: When asked about the secret seizure of reportersâ phone records, Obama spokesperson Jay Carney told the media that the president âfound out about the news reports, uh, yesterday on the road.â
- The Department of Veteransâ Affairs healthcare âwaiting listâ scandal: The White House appeared to be in the dark about the waiting list scandal and cover-up related to medical care for the countryâs military vets. Then-Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that, âWe learned about them through the reports. I will double check if that is not the case. But that is when we learned about them.â
- The Unauthorized Air Force One photo-op: New York City residents were panicked when, in April 2009, Air Force One â sans President Obama â flew over the Statue of Liberty for a pre-scheduled photo-op. Obamaâs response: âIt was something that, uh, we found out about, uh, along with all of you.â