CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      FOOD & BEVERAGE
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Beauty
        • Home
        • Pets
        • Kitchen
        • Fitness
        • I'm Looking For
        COUPONS
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • DoorDash Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • Wine.com Discounts
        • Vitacost Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        BEST PICKS
        • Best VPNs
        • Best Gaming PCs
        • Best Air Fryers
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE

        Audrey Tomason: Situation Room Mystery Woman During Osama Raid

        There's fleetingly little information about the woman standing just feet from the president in what has become an iconic photo of the Situation Room during the raid on Osama bin Laden. Daniel Stone investigates Audrey Tomason's sparse record.

        Daniel Stone

        Updated Jul. 13, 2017 3:23PM ET / Published May. 03, 2011 2:47PM ET 

        Who is Audrey Tomason? (Pete Souza / White House)

        There's fleetingly little information about the woman standing just feet from the president in what has become an iconic photo of the Situation Room during the raid on Osama bin Laden. Daniel Stone investigates Audrey Tomason's sparse record. Plus: full coverage of Osama bin Laden's death.

        The photo has been seen on front pages around the world: President Obama in the White House Situation Room watching the Osama bin Laden raid with the most recognizable faces in American government and counterterrorism.

        Except one.

        Who's the woman peeking her head from the back? A White House caption for the photo identifies her as Audrey Tomason with title "Director for Counterterrorism." But in a room full of oft-cited and quoted people, there's fleetingly little published information about who she is or what she does for the administration.

        The presence of Tomason is notable for a few reasons. Next to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she's the only other woman pictured in the testosterone-filled room. And she appears to be the only person under 40. But what matters most is that she is standing just a few feet from the president, who is otherwise surrounded by his closest advisers, as they watch one of the country's highest-stakes operations in decades as it occurs in real time.

        When The Daily Beast asked the White House press office about Tomason, an official said she worked with the National Security Council, a White House agency closely involved with the intelligence that led to bin Laden. The official intimated that the White House generally doesn't discuss personnel at any of the government's covert or intelligence agencies. Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the NSC, confirmed she worked with the agency. When asked why she had never been identified or mentioned before, Vietor responded "Well, we've never killed bin Laden before."

        "There are trace details floating around the Internet about Tomason; trying to figure out who she is has become a sort of Web parlor game."

        There are trace details floating around the Internet about Tomason; trying to figure out who she is has become a sort of Web parlor game She is said to have gone to Tufts University and earned her masters at Harvard's Kennedy School. (Harvard and Tufts did not immediately respond to inquiries but we'll update the story as soon as we hear back.) One corner of the Internet suggests she is 34, but the number couldn't be confirmed. She also didn't appear to be active on any major social networks. When the Beast tried to reach her Tuesday afternoon at her office, no one answered the phone.

        The image shows a white-knuckle moment: a resolute and stone-faced President Obama and a level of organization and discipline among his team. But could it have outed a sensitive national security employee? "You can make a reasonable deduction that she’s a member of the intelligence community," says Michael Barrett, a national security expert and principal at strategy firm Diligent Innovations. "Is that a story [the White House] wants to put out there in public? The fact that we can see her face could potentially jeopardize her career."

        Daniel Stone is Newsweek's White House correspondent. He also covers national energy and environmental policy.

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Crime
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Coupons:
        • Coupons:
        • Vistaprint Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Office Depot Coupons
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC