Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?' Biden's bizarre question anger
Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?' Biden's bizarre question angers father of Navy SEAL who died in Benghazi attack
- VP made inappropriate comment to Charles Woods, father of SEAL Tyrone
- Father angered by White House reaction to deadly assault in Benghazi
- Said meeting Obama was 'like shaking hands with a dead fish'
- Accused Hillary of not telling the truth when she linked consulate raid to anti-Muslim YouTube video
dailymail.co.uk
By Hugo Gye
PUBLISHED: 10:39 EST, 26 October 2012 | UPDATED: 15:37 EST, 26 October 2012
The father of one of the Navy SEALs who was killed in the Libya consulate attack has criticised the White House reaction to his son's death - especially a bizarre and obscene comment Joe Biden made to him.
Charles Woods, father of Tyrone Woods, said he thought Barack Obama had 'no remorse' over the attack and felt Hillary Clinton was 'not telling the truth'.
And he revealed that at the ceremony for the return of Tyrone's body, the Vice President approached his family and asked, 'Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?'
Mr Woods added that the President seemed cold and distant at the time, saying: 'Shaking hands with him, quite frankly, was like shaking hands with a dead fish.'
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Inappropriate: Joe Biden apparently asked the father of dead Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, right, 'Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?'
Mr Woods launched his blistering attack on the Obama administration during an interview with Glenn Beck on The Blaze yesterday.
Tyrone died on September 11 alongside his colleague Glen Doherty while the pair were protecting a CIA building next to the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
Ambassador Chris Stevens and diplomat Sean Smith were also killed in the raid, which has become a controversial issue in next month's presidential election due to ongoing confusion over how much the administration knew about the circumstances of the attack..
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Mr Woods told Mr Beck that he was disappointed by his meeting with senior officials at the event marking the return of the dead men's bodies.
He said that Mr Biden had acted inappropriately, asking the Woods family in a 'loud and boisterous' tone, 'Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?'
Mr Woods asked, 'Are these the words of someone who is sorry?'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...00_634x502.jpg Cold: Charles Woods also criticised Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for their demeanour when they met him
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Issue: The Benghazi attack has become part of the election campaign between Mitt Romney and Obama
The President, by contrast, was apparently much more subdued, to the point of coldness.
'When he finally came over to where we were, I could tell that he was rather conflicted, a person who was not at peace with himself,' Mr Woods said.
'Shaking hands with him, quite frankly, was like shaking hands with a dead fish. His face was pointed towards me but he would not look me in the eye, his eyes were over my shoulder.
'I could tell that he was not sorry. He had no remorse.'
When Mr Woods met Mrs Clinton, she made a reference to the U.S.-made YouTube video mocking the Prophet Muhammad which was originally thought to have been behind the attack.
'When she said that, I could tell that she was not telling me the truth,' he said.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...63_634x411.jpg Violent: Tyrone died during an Islamist assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on September 11
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...71_634x373.jpg Aftermath: The events leading up to the raid are still under official investigation six weeks later
His recollection of the reception differs sharply from that of Tyrone's mother, who last month took to Facebook to praise the officials who organised the event.
Writing about the repatriation of her son's body, Cheryl Croft Bennett said: 'The entire afternoon was overpowering and unreal.
'Little did I know that I would find myself in a reception room being comforted, hugged, and, yes, even kissed by the President of the United States. Along with the President, there was Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and General and Mrs Colin Powell.
'They were all wonderful. They held my hand, offered condolences, gave warm hugs, and were extremely compassionate and genuinely sad for my loss, as I fought back tears and tried to project an image of strength to honor my SEAL son.'
Mr Woods also denounced the White House for officials' failure to protect the four Americans, saying: 'They denied the pleas for help and they watched my son die.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...97_634x494.jpg Victim: Ambassador Chris Stevens, pictured here with a Libyan shopkeeper, died in the attack
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Fallen: Diplomat Sean Smith, left, and SEAL Glen Doherty, right, were the other two American victims
In a statement he described Tyrone as 'a true American hero' who had 'voluntarily sacrificed his life to protect the lives of other Americans'.
He called for further investigation of the circumstance of the attack, concluding: 'This is an opportunity for the person or persons who made the decision to sacrifice my son's life to stand up.'
This is not the first time a parent of one of the victims has publicly spoken out against the President's handling of the tragedy.
Sean Smith's mother Pat last week slammed Obama for describing the situation as 'not optimal', telling MailOnline, 'It's insensitive to say my son is not very optimal - he is also very dead.'
She added: 'I am still waiting for the truth to come out and I still want to know the truth. I'm finally starting to get some answers but I won't give up.'
The Benghazi raid has become one of the most divisive issues in the presidential battle between Obama and his Republican opponent Mitt Romney.
GOP congressmen have accused the White House and the State Department of misleading the nation by pinning the attack on the anti-Islam video, entitled Innocence of Muslims, when there were early signs that it had been a premeditated terrorist operation.
In addition, government officials have been criticised for scaling back security in Benghazi over the summer, despite Stevens' concerns about his safety and that of his team.
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