Obama staff and GOP battle over Christmas Day bombing

In addition to news about the Super Bowl and health care, Sunday also saw more back-and-forth between the Obama White House and congressional Republicans over the increasingly politicized issue of counter-terrorism.

White House counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan, angered by Republican criticism over the handling of the Christmas Day bomb plot, told NBC's Meet The Press he briefed four GOP leaders that very night that suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was in FBI custody.

"They knew that an FBI custody means that there's a process that you follow as far as Mirandizing and presenting him in front of the magistrate," Brennan said. "None of those individuals raised any concerns with me at that point. They didn't say, 'is he going into military custody? Is he going to be Mirandized?'"

Brennan also expressed concern "that politicians continue to make this a political football and are using it for whatever or partisan purposes, whether they be Democrats or Republicans."

The Republicans in question said they were not explicitly told Abdulmutallab would be read his Miranda rights against self-incrimination -- a step they claim enabled him to "lawyer up" and stay quiet for weeks, while allies in Yemen regrouped.

"It's absurd to try to blame Congressional leaders for this dangerous decision that gave terrorists a five week head start to cover their tracks," said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., one of those contacted.

The four Republicans whom Brennan called included the ranking Republicans on congressional intelligence committees, Bond and Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan. The others: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said Brennan "is clearly trying to shift the focus away from the fact that their bad decisions gave terrorists in Yemen a weeks-long head start."