“This was something we had an indication was likely to occur,” Mr. Earnest said. “But it’s not something we requested.”
Ri-i-i-i-ght.
So the Brits call up, say "hey, this chump's partner is coming through Heathrow, you want us to detain him?"
Obama: silence
That's all the Brits needed to hear - nothing, no objection to the planned detention.
Obama consented to, approved of, and ratified this detention, notwithstanding that he, or whomever answered the phone, didn't actually say "yes."