Romney criticizes Obama’s reaction to Libyan ambassador’s death

Mitt Romney was quick to denounce President Obama's reaction to the violent protests in Libya that left US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others dead. 

"I’m outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi," Romney said in a statement late Tuesday night, the Washington Post reported. "It’s disgraceful that the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks." 

The GOP presidential candidate's comments were actually a response to a statement from the US Embassy in Cairo condemning the religious offenses that incited the violence. 

"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions," the statement read. "Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."

Obama's statement, which was released Wednesday Morning, strongly condemned the violence, Think Progress reported. 

"I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens," Obama said. "While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants."

More from GlobalPost: In-Depth Series: Death in Benghazi 

An anonymous administration official also told Politico the statement from Cairo was not cleared by Washington and "does not reflect the views of the United States government." 

The statement from Cairo was also written and posted "before the Cairo embassy was overrun and the violence had started," the Atlantic reported. 

However, Romney stood firm by his initial statements Wednesday, saying that the administration's reaction “reflects the mixed signals” that Obama is “sending the world," the Post reported. 

The Washington Post also pointed out that not all of the GOP was as harsh as Romney. In fact, several usually-vocal Republican critics of Obama took more somber, neutral stances in their responses to the tragedy than their party's presidential nominee. 

“Among the things we can all agree on in Washington is that attacks on the US and its representatives will be met with resolve, and that America’s presence and defense of our national interests across the globe will not be deterred by the acts of violent extremists,” said Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader.