After meeting Ms Rice on Tuesday, senators said they were troubled. The envoy said her initial line that the Benghazi attack appeared to have sprung from a protest had been wrong. The 11 September assault on the US consulate triggered a major political row over who knew what and when. Days afterwards, Rice, said in a series of TV interviews that it seemed to have developed out of protests over an anti-Islamic film.
Later intelligence reports suggested it was possibly tied to al-Qaeda affiliates. The attack left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
After the meeting on Capitol Hill, Ms Rice said; “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.
However, the Republicans said questions remained unanswered. McCain said: ”We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn’t get concerning evidence that was leading up to the attack.“
Republicans are demanding a joint committee investigate the attack. Current Secretary of State Clinton is not expected to continue in the role for a second four-year term. The Obama administration would need the support of the Senate for any nomination to the post.
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