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发帖数: 29846 | 1 By SARA MURRAY
WASHINGTON—Ambassador Susan Rice's attempt to repair her standing with
Senate Republicans appeared to fall short Tuesday, as a trio of GOP senators
remained harshly critical of comments she made following the U.S. consulate
attack in Libya.
Ms. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations who is seen as the front-
runner to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visited
Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with Republicans who had previously vowed to
block her nomination. Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South
Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire said the meeting left them more
concerned than ever about the public statements Ms. Rice made in the wake of
the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Susan Rice is set to meet with three GOP senators who have criticized the
explanations she gave for the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya. Photo:
AP Images.
"All I can say is that the concerns I have are greater today than they were
before," Mr. Graham said after the meeting. "We're not even close to getting
the basic answers."
In a statement issued after Tuesday's meeting, Ms. Rice acknowledged that
her public comments about the attack in several television interviews days
afterward were incorrect, but said they were based on evolving intelligence.
In those interviews, Ms. Rice said the attack grew out of protests over an
anti-Islamic video; officials later said there was no protest in Benghazi
that day.
More
Excerpts of senators' remarks Tuesday
Flashback: What Susan Rice Said About Benghazi
Earlier: Obama Defends Susan Rice Over Benghazi
"The talking points provided by the intelligence community, and the initial
assessment upon which they were based, were incorrect in a key respect:
there was no protest or demonstration in Benghazi," she said in her
statement. "While we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just
days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence
assessment has evolved."
Ms. Rice added that she didn't intend to mislead the American people and
said that "the administration updated Congress and the American people as
our assessments evolved."
Criticism of Ms. Rice by the Republican senators appeared to be abating
earlier this week, but the meeting renewed hostilities. That may complicate
Ms. Rice's chances for the secretary of state slot. Massachusetts Sen. John
Kerry, a Democrat, is another possibility for the job. President Barack
Obama may announce his choice as soon as this week.
Ms. Ayotte said she would use her ability as a senator to try to single-
handedly block the confirmation of Ms. Rice or another nominee.
"Absolutely, there will be a hold," she said later Tuesday. "My view is we
should hold on this until we get sufficient information."
The Benghazi attacks and the administration's handling of them are under
investigation by several congressional committees, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and a State Department panel.
Mr. McCain said he was "troubled" after his meeting with Ms. Rice and
Michael Morell, acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"It is clear that the information that she gave the American people was
incorrect when she said that it was a spontaneous demonstration triggered by
a…video," Mr. McCain said after the meeting. "There was compelling
evidence at the time that that was certainly not the case."
Ms. Ayotte said there was clear evidence early on that people with ties to
al Qaeda had carried out the Libya attack, and she accused the
administration of circulating information it knew was inaccurate. "Obviously
, the changes made to the unclassified talking points were misleading," Ms.
Ayotte said Tuesday, questioning why Ms. Rice didn't engage in deeper
preparation before she spoke publicly about the attack.
"Before anybody can make an intelligent decision about promoting someone
involved in Benghazi, we need to do a lot more," Mr. Graham said. |
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