Despite an earlier claim by a Marine Band spokeswoman that quite possibly invalidated the inauguration, a Marine Corps spokesman is now denying that the Marine Band has the authority to say whether or not Beyoncé lip-synched her performance of the National Anthem.

Speaking with the Associated Press, Capt. Gregory Wolf said the Marine Band used a pre-recorded track to back up Beyoncé because a lack of rehearsal time prior to the inauguration made performing live "ill advised."

"Regarding Ms. Knowles-Carter's vocal performance," Wolf said, "no one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded."

This comes on the heels of comments made by Marine Band spokeswoman Sgt. Kristin duBois, who claimed that Beyoncé used a pre-recorded version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" for reasons unknown to her.

It has been noted that lip-syncing at important events is standard procedure, and even Whitney Houston's legendary take on the anthem at Super Bowl XXV was lip-synched, sparking the same kind of controversy.

[photo via AP]