President Obama named Susan Rice as his national security adviser on
Wednesday, despite persistent criticism from Republicans over her
initial account of the Benghazi terror attack.
Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden, called Rice a "tireless advocate" for advancing America's interests.
"She is at once passionate and pragmatic," Obama said.
Rice will replace Tom Donilon, who is resigning from the post. Rice,
the current U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, does not need Senate
confirmation for the job.
The ambassador had earlier been considered in the running for the
secretary of State post, which does require confirmation, but withdrew
from consideration amid the continuing fallout over her role following
the Benghazi attack.
Rice went on five Sunday shows after the attack and claimed it was
triggered by protests over an anti-Islam film, an explanation many
lawmakers said at the time was inaccurate. The administration later
acknowledged there were no protests on the ground in Benghazi, though
they have not officially ruled out that protests elsewhere may have
played a role.
Republicans bristled at the news that Rice was being named to the new
position. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accused her of "misleading" the public
on Benghazi.
"How are they going to have the authority for people to believe what
they're saying, when he's promoting someone who directly and
deliberately misled the public over Benghazi?" Paul said on Fox News.
Rice's defenders dispute that charge.
The administration, under pressure from the media and Republicans,
last month released the so-called "talking points" which showed
officials drafting and re-drafting their storyline in advance of Rice's
appearance. The intelligence community did cite demonstrations --
however, references to militant and Islamic extremist groups, and to
prior security warnings and incidents, were ultimately stripped out
after objections from various administration officials.
It's unclear what level of involvement Rice had in this process.
Officials, speaking in her defense, have said she was merely citing the
assessment she was given on Sept. 16.
Former Obama aide Samantha Power, meanwhile, was nominated to succeed
Rice as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Power was an aide to the Obama
campaign in 2008 but resigned after a report was published in which she
called then-candidate Hillary Clinton a "monster."
A senior official told Fox News that Donilon decided to leave the
security adviser post after his wife took a job that involves a lot of
foreign travel. He has been in the administration since the start, first
as deputy national security adviser.
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