http://twitter.com/#!/guypbenson/status/332922324741394432

As Twitchy reported, the White House pushed today’s press briefing from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Tweeters speculated that the decision had to do with a desperate effort to cover itself in light of the damning new evidence for a Benghazi cover-up. And it looks like they were right:

Most transparent Admin in history RT @dylanbyers#Break: White House holds off-the-record Benghazi briefing politico.com/blogs/media/20… …

— S.M (@redsteeze) May 10, 2013

Politico reports:

The off-the-record session was announced to reporters in the wake of an ABC News report showing that White House and State Dept. officials were involved in revising the now-discredited CIA talking points about the attack on Benghazi.

Transparency, y’all.

#MostTransparentAdminNevah RT @salenazitotrib: #Benghazi briefing held by White House was off the record. Now, think about that.

— Barbara McMahon (@southsalem) May 10, 2013

Of course the Benghazi briefing is off the record. Aren’t all strategy meetings between like-minded individuals off the record?

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 10, 2013

Great question.

Considering all the stuff that was revealed this week, holding an off-the-record briefing with reporters seems grossly inappropriate today.

— RB (@RBPundit) May 10, 2013

The panic would be hilarious if it weren’t so brazenly douchey.

Nothing says “not a cover-up” like secret meetings with select members of the media who promise to keep what’s revealed quiet.

— Sunny (@sunnyright) May 10, 2013

Paging @presssec any answer on this?RT @fran_chambers: If you don’t have anything to hide, why hold an off-the-record briefing?

— Marc T Grove (@mtgrove) May 10, 2013

Hey @presssec Jay Carney: What do you have to say to the White House Press Corps today that you can’t say in front of the rest of us?

— Starz and Strypz (@StarzandStrypz) May 10, 2013

C’mon, Jay.

Non-journo friend says this OTR Benghazi meeting is “too obvious” damage control:like, amazingly weirdly obvious and stupid”

— Mollie Z. Hemingway (@MZHemingway) May 10, 2013

What’s the purpose of briefing the press on a terrorist attack “off-the-record”? The press’ job is to report.

— Sunny (@sunnyright) May 10, 2013

Exactly.

@dylanbyers Mistake by WH 2hold off the record briefing 4 some press b4 today’s briefing. That will infuriate reporters not invited

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) May 10, 2013

CNN’s Jake Tapper, for one, is not happy, as evidenced by this retweet:

RT @aprildryan: Big mistake!!!!!!Reporters are not happy with this off the record briefing before the briefing with a handful of the Pres…

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 10, 2013

Were hush-donuts involved?

No word as to whether there were donuts. RT @dylanbyers #Break: White House holds off-the-record Benghazi briefing politico.com/blogs/media/20…

— Razor (@hale_razor) May 10, 2013

Did Jay Carney give out donuts or birth control to the media that agreed to an off the record briefing about Benghazi?

— S.M (@redsteeze) May 10, 2013

Oh, and now comes the news that the briefing has been pushed back even further, to 3:15 p.m.:

WH briefing is now at 3:15.

— Brian Hughes (@BrianHughesDC) May 10, 2013

This. RT @jaketapper: WH press briefing scheduled for 12:30, then 1:45, now 3:15

— Sunny (@sunnyright) May 10, 2013

Well, gee.

WH brief pushed back from 12:30 to 1:45 to 3:15 as elite press are schmoozed off the record on Benghazi. Gosh, what deft stagecraft.

— Roger Simon (@politicoroger) May 10, 2013

This is shaping up to be one hell of a briefing — assuming the White House has the guts to go through with it.

Okay. I think we have every right to know which journalists were at the off-the-record briefing today. We want names. NOW.

— RB (@RBPundit) May 10, 2013

If whoever is in that off-the-record briefing doesn’t ask Carney the exact same questions at the public one, we’re going to be able to tell.

— RB (@RBPundit) May 10, 2013

First Q from ANY journo in that OTR briefing should be: “As you stated in the OTR briefing… (followed by question).”

— RB (@RBPundit) May 10, 2013

I can’t WAIT for today’s WH presser.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) May 10, 2013

***

Update:

Well, well, well:

Oh my God. It has been changed from “off-the-record” to “deep background.” politico.com/blogs/media/20… We’re being played, folks.

— RB (@RBPundit) May 10, 2013

Politico has changed the report’s original title and posted a correction. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told author Dylan Byers that the meeting was not technically off-the-record; rather, it was conducted on “deep background.”

Uh-huh.

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/05/10/transparency-wh-reportedly-holds-off-the-record-benghazi-briefing/