Sterling, Virginia (CNN) - After Mitt Romney was knocked back on his heels for commenting on the diplomatic attacks in the Middle East before all of the facts were in, advisers to the GOP nominee said he has yet to receive national security briefings from the Obama administration.
But those briefings will begin next week, a campaign spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.
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"For the last several weeks, the Romney campaign has been in touch with the intelligence community to arrange intelligence briefings for Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan, consistent with tradition," the spokesperson, who declined to be named, told CNN. "They will begin next week and, beyond that, we will have no further comment."
It is customary in the latter stages of a general election campaign for presidential challengers to get these vital intelligence updates, regardless of which party is in power.
A top Romney foreign policy adviser acknowledged on Wednesday the death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya was not yet known to the campaign when it issued a statement that sharply criticized the president's handling of the crisis.
The initial statement released by the Romney campaign late Tuesday night did, however, note the death of an "American consulate worker."
A senior Romney strategist told CNN Thursday the campaign is confident the controversy sparked by the Republican contender's comments would blow over in time.
The strategist said Romney's criticism highlighted the "big differences" in the race.
- CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report