White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he was not aware of any heads-up given by the Coast Guard to the White House about the Potomac training exercise and suggested any panic that resulted was the fault of the media, not law enforcement.
Gibbs said the “reporting was based on listening to a police scanner” and wasn’t “verified” before being reported. He said media should “check before reporting” such events.
Asked if Sept. 11 was an appropriate day for such a training exercise, Gibbs said, “I tend not to question law enforcement trying to keep the nation safe.”