Just like the Democrats blaming Bush for an attack that happened 7 1/2 months after he took office, but refusing to place any blame on Clinton despite most of the intel failures happening during his time in the office, and despite the CIA director being Clinton's man*.
Its called "party before country", and has become the norm for both major parties in American politics
* George Tenet was officially appointed Director of Central Intelligence on July 11, 1997, after a unanimous confirmation vote in the Senate. While the Director of Central Intelligence has been replaced by an incoming administration since Jimmy Carter replaced DCI George H. W. Bush, Tenet served through the end of the Clinton Administration and well into the term of George W. Bush. Tenet submitted his resignation to President Bush on June 3, 2004.