As the Obama administration comes under increasing scrutiny for its handling of the terrorist attack in Libya, Ambassador Susan Rice is defending her actions, saying that political considerations did not factor into her early statements on the attack.
In an interview with The Washington Post published on Tuesday, Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said, according to The Post’s characterization, that “she relied on daily updates from intelligence agencies in the days before her television appearances and on a set of talking points prepared for senior members of the administration by intelligence officials."
When asked whether there was an attempt to “pick and choose” among explanations she replied, “Absolutely not,” adding that, “It was purely a function of what was provided to us” and, as The Post writes, "had been given to Congress the day before."
In the days following the incident, Rice said that the attacks in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were "spontaneous," the result of angry protests over an anti-Muslim film produced in the United States. Later, the administration labeled the incident as a terrorist attack.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are now investigating the administration's response.
In addition on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that the administration is considering a drone strike or other type of attack in Libya, but has yet to find a target.
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