Rice fails to convince Republican senators

WASHINGTON - Reuters

UN envoy Rice (R) is likely to be nominated for Clinton’s post. AP photo

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice conceded Nov. 27 that an early account she gave about the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, was partly inaccurate, but her admission failed to win over Republican senators who accused her of misleading the public.

Rice met for about an hour behind closed doors at the U.S. Capitol with Republican Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, who have threatened to block her nomination for the post of secretary of state.

They have criticized her for initial comments after the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi that suggested it was a spontaneous event arising from protests over an anti-Islam film. “We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got, and some that we didn’t get, concerning evidence that was overwhelming leading up to the attack on our consulate,” McCain said. Graham said he would move to block the nomination of “anybody” who was linked to the Benghazi events.Rice later issued a statement.

“We explained that 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 the statement.