WATCH: Incredible Footage of Destructive Tornado Tearing Though Oklahoma Right Now

Live BlazeCast at 2pm ET: The curious John Kerry Picture — plus your comments

Government

US Ambassador Susan Rice Defends Her Initial Comments on Benghazi Attack

Nov. 21, 2012 7:57pm
US Ambassador Susan Rice Defends Her Initial Comments on Benghazi Attack

FILE – This Aug. 30, 2012 file photo shows US United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice speaking at the United Nations. Republicans lashed out at President Barack Obama and senior administration officials over their evolving description of the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya, a late campaign-season broadside challenging the veracity and leadership of an incumbent on the upswing. (Credit: AP)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice says her early account of the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans in Benghazi was based on the initial intelligence community assessments and was always subject to review and updates.

She said she respects Republican Sen. John McCain, who has been critical of her, but says “some of the statements he’s made about me have been unfounded, but I look forward to having the opportunity at the appropriate time to discuss all of this with him.”

Her comments attributing the attacks to a mob enraged over an anti-Muslim video posted on YouTube were widely denounced by Republicans during the U.S. presidential campaign. The attack came on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, and her critics said it was clearly a terrorist attack aimed at the anniversary.

The focus has fallen on her because she is a longtime White House insider and is believed to be President Barack Obama’s first choice to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is not expected to stay on during his second term.

Rice told reporters outside the U.N. Security Council that “As a senior U.S. diplomat, I agreed to a White House request to appear on the Sunday shows to talk about the full range of national security issues of the day, which at that time were primarily and particularly the protests that were enveloping and threatening many diplomatic facilities, American diplomatic facilities around the world, and Iran’s nuclear program.”

Hours before the Benghazi violence, a mob in Cairo attacked the U.S. Embassy there to denounce the videos as anti-Islamic blasphemy.

Rice said “the attack on our facilities in Benghazi was obviously a significant piece of this” pattern.

“When discussing he attack against our facilities in Benghazi, I relied solely and squarely on the information provided to me by the intelligence community,” she said.

“I made clear that the information was preliminary, and that our investigations would give us the definitive answers,” she added.

 

Featured image via AP/CBS News, Chris Usher

Benghazi, IRS, AP...What's next? Only TheBlaze TV offers the truth from Glenn Beck, Andrew Wilkow, and Real News from TheBlaze. Get instant access and a free trial here.

Comments (79)

1 2
  • wthtamfm
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 4:59am

    McCain is a racist because he opposes her….and not voting for a white because of his color isn’t???
    Hmm – ya gotta wonder…….

    Report this comment

    wthtamfm  
    • Jesse_J
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 6:01am

      Susan Rice lied, period. Whether she was told to by the aministration or she di it on her own, we now know she lied when the real facts had been available for days. Read fresh political commentary at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/

      Report this comment

      Jesse_J  
    • johnpaulkuchtajr
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 8:57am

      Dear Ambassador Rice:

      I’d speculate that about 175 million Americans could give a rat’s a$$ about your explanations.

      We already know that the Sewer Rat-in-Chief left four men: Stevens, Smith, Doherty and Woods out in the desert to die on the night of 9/11/12. Woods and Doherty were ordered to “stand down” on three occasions before their training kicked-in. Oh, in light of your Sewer Rat Gang membership status, “stand down” means “don’t do nuttin’.” Who gave the order to “Stand Down?”

      We know that if there was not a “platform” (killing flying machine) in the sky above Benghazi, Woods would have never wasted his time and exposed himself by “painting” the enemy mortar position to facilitate elimination of the mortar. Who ordered that “platform” not to give aid?

      Considering that independent journalists have been reporting that the caves around Derna, Libya, are home to at least 300 Al Qaeda guarding thousands of shoulder-fired missiles, RPG’s and heavy automatic weapons, why has the Sewer Rat-in-Chief not ordered them destroyed?

      Is Obama’s inaction due to the fact that he is buying those weapons from terrorists in Benghazi to supply to terrorists in Syria? Yeah, those are the questions we want answered and hold the lies, we hear those every day from the chief sewer rat.

      “Remember Benghazi”

      Report this comment

      johnpaulkuchtajr  
    • omni3460
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 10:50am

      What this does show is that this Whitehouse is a bunch of blatant liars…..and they don’t seem to realize or care the entire world knows. Rice timed her comments right after Clapper came out (as if we are dumb). THIS WHITEHOUSE NEEDS TO BE REMOVED AND ALL DEPT HEADS AS THEY ARE WILLING TO LIE. The death of four people is on the head of Obama as well. Bet it bothers him NOT one moment during any day either.

      Report this comment

      omni3460  
    • tdunn626
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 11:01am

      Whatever the activity leading up to the murders is called, did the president explain why a rescue effort was not attempted??? NO! Let’s get that from him at least, please.

      Report this comment

      tdunn626  
    • tdunn626
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 11:03am

      Everything else Obama allows to be dribbled out is a deflection from the real question of what was the nature of the rescue attempt – if there was one?

      Report this comment

      tdunn626  
    • tdunn626
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 11:12am

      Do you think Israeli citizens would allow their ambassador to be murdered without a rescue effort attempted? Do you think those same citizens would not demand to know the details of our response during the seven hours of the massacre so that they could improve their anti-terrorist tactics or anti-mob demonstration tactics, if you prefer? Can’t mobs be monitored on the ground with U.S. military security forces, i.e. Military Police? What difference does it make that the Obama administration might win the point that the massacre could only have started as a demonstration. I’ll tell you…None. The military should have been put on alert immediately and activated within the first two hours when the White House had visual evidence of a military-type assault by the murderers on the U.S. Embassy.

      What do you think? Do you think that Obama will get away with not answering these questions by continuing this sort of filibuster in which he is currently engaged?

      Report this comment

      tdunn626  
    • HumbleMan
      Posted on November 23, 2012 at 10:08am

      Look Susan, I didn’t even know you are “African American”. Honestly it doesn’t show. But what you told the world as the Ambassador to the United Nations was wholly and incontrovertibly incorrect.

      Don’t accuse us of “racism”. Come clean. Who told you to lie?

      Report this comment

      HumbleMan  
  • spinelessdave
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 3:10am

    Tainted !!!

    Report this comment

    spinelessdave  
  • welovetheUSA
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 2:23am

    This is hillarys drinking bud..and Obamas ..well….the woman lied..period. Nothing she says will make it right..you donot go out 5 times and lie…like Obama did and hillary did..heck they even made a commercial for the muslims..says it was the video……come on……get rid of this broad.

    Report this comment

    welovetheUSA  
    • bumpkin
      Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:59pm

      Remember 911, Remember 911, Remember Benghazi

      Report this comment

      bumpkin  
    • bumpkin
      Posted on November 23, 2012 at 4:01pm

      OUCH! (We REALLY need an ‘edit’ button, guys!) I neglected to add… Remember Fast and Furious..

      Report this comment

      bumpkin  
  • DZ-015
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 12:05am

    Didn’t General Petraeus testify that the initial CIA report contained the conclusion that the Benghazi attacks were caused by terrorists; however someone (Later determined to be Mr. Clapper) removed that information from the unclassified report? Nevertheless, Susan Rice possessed the security clearance that would have given her access to the initial report. Did she see it before going on her talk show tour, and if not, why not?

    Report this comment

    DZ-015  
  • crusaderx9
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 11:57pm

    Everyone NOW knows what “intel” the obama regime had within 24 hours of the murder of Ambassador Stevens and 3 other Americans by terrorists.

    There was NO intel that this was a spontaneous attack nor was there any evidence that this attack was a band of angry muslim movie critics. The obama regime knew within 24 hours it was a preplanned terrorist operation that was executed against a vulnerable Consulate that had ignored warnings to provide proper threat mitigation and then dismissed the military security team.

    SHE LIED, SHE LIED, SHE LIED.

    Report this comment

    crusaderx9  
  • uptickusa
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 11:50pm

    The only thing you made clear was the VIDEO you repeated over and over again.Quit your job -no one trusts you anymore……

    Report this comment

    uptickusa  
    • Oldphoto678
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 4:57am

      No, no. What you should have said is know one on the right trusts you. Well guess what. It doesn’t mater, because your side doesn’t mater. We The People have turned our back on you. Extremist like you have proven yourselves unworthy of our consideration, and you have been shunned.

      Report this comment

      Oldphoto678  
    • Old Ogre
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 10:24am

      @Oldphoto678

      It’s sad that you think that you on the far left are actually Americans;
      You don’ care about America, what it is supposed to represent. You just sit there basking in the limelight worshiping your stupid little media whore Obama. Think about this, He idly sat and literally watched four Americans get murdered! Then he went and took a nap to be rested up to go to Vegas!! And you call yourselves Americans?

      Report this comment

      Old Ogre  
    • Texas_Hawkeye
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 1:47pm

      @oldphoto first, happy Thanksgiving.second, that’s as bad or worse than Romney’s 47% comment. To turn your back on 49-50% of the American population is foolish, especially as we are the ones with the guns. Good luck with that……..

      Report this comment

      Texas_Hawkeye  
    • mgh999
      Posted on November 25, 2012 at 11:45am

      All of this is very preliminary, but we KNOW it’s all about a 3 month old video.

      It has nothing to do with anything that could cast this administration in a bad light just before election now move along nothing to see here.

      Report this comment

      mgh999  
  • repairsea
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 11:30pm

    She is a mentally damaged person who was hired as an affirmative action puppet. Obama’s family has a history of enslaving blacks and he continues with families’ legacy. If she wasn’t working for the government, she would be on welfare. That is the only place the democrats think blacks are capable of on their liberal plantation. Wake up. The democrat masters still shackling you and your children. They don’t even try to keep you in school because they believe you cannot learn just like their 1970s poster child Governor George Wallace.

    Report this comment

    repairsea  
  • repairsea
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 11:29pm

    She is a mentally damaged person who was hired as an affirmative action puppet. Obama’s family has a history of enslaving blacks and he continues with families’ legacy. If she wasn’t working for the government, the liberals would force her on welfare. That is the only place the democrats think blacks are capable of on their liberal plantation. Wake up. The democrat masters still shackeling you and your children. They don’t even try to keep you in school because they believe you cannot learn just like their 1970s poster child Governor George Wallace.

    Report this comment

    repairsea  
  • Isis79
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 10:14pm

    When are Americans going to wake up and put trash like this lady in the gutter where they belong. It seems like the entire Obama administration and so many other government officials are working against what is best for America and following some blind allegiance to destroy America from within.

    Report this comment

    Isis79  
    • rickc34
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 11:06pm

      She lied..Obama lied..Clinton lied so what does that make them ? Liars and untrustworthy.

      Report this comment

      rickc34  
    • TheePolitinator
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 11:06pm

      Never, look at how many sheep pulled the level for the usurper not once but twice. We are dealing with complete and utter ignorance and apathy.

      Report this comment

      TheePolitinator  
  • franny1951
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 10:06pm

    I believe that anyone involved in the lies regarding Benghazi are either concerned about their career or are being blackmailed.

    Report this comment

    franny1951  
  • bTeri
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:32pm

    Rice has proven herself to be ineffective and dishonest and is not worthy of the honor of replacing Clinton as Secretary of State. She was pivotal in the Clinton years while on the Africa desk of the State Dept of NOT accepting the Sudan’s offer of handing over bin Laden to the US (on more than one occasion), she’s a bull in a China shop that has alientated many overseas relationships, she has blown off important meetings throughout her tenure as Ambassador to the UN and her one “signature” accomplishment as Ambassador? the sanctions against Iran? After years of bashing Bush and his FIVE different sanctions against Iran that he got through the UN Security Council, Rice took three years to get one through, and with the least support the US has ever received from the Security Council and incredibly watered down by China and Russia.

    Getting beyond the fact that Rice has not achieved accomplishments in her career worthy of this promotion (even as a woman and African American), Rice has to provide Congree and the American people with specific concrete proof and evidence from Sept 11 that the “spontaneous protest due to an anti-Muslim video” was their best intelligence when everything the American people have heard and seen and learned since has been that its was pre planned terrorism from an Al Qaeda affiliate. Sorry Susan– NO ONE is taking your word on this.

    Report this comment

    bTeri  
  • ginger100
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:17pm

    Rice said that her parents taught her to “never use race as an excuse or advantage”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_E._Rice

    How disappointing.

    Report this comment

    ginger100  
  • packa14
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:54pm

    wow how is this another indignent liberal black liar!!!

    Report this comment

    packa14  
  • neverending
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:45pm

    So it took her this long to come out and explain her lies! Shut up you worthless puppet

    Report this comment

    neverending  
    • RLTW
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:02pm

      It took her 2 months of rehearsing her new lines of lies and I’m still not convinced.

      Report this comment

      RLTW  
  • COREZONE
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:36pm

    When all you do is lie, it is hard to remember what you said, so you have to make up another story. When all around you lie, you feel that what you do is acceptable and you are exempt from the truth. Just because you and they say it is so, doesn’t mean that it is the truth. The truth has no agenda and it will come out sooner or later. If our youth learns from our leaders, we cannot succeed unless we call a spade a spade. Yes, that was racist. Not.

    Report this comment

    COREZONE  
  • GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:30pm

    This is not the first time Rice stabs US back…
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2962012/posts

    Report this comment

    GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas  
  • MrKnowItAll
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:28pm

    How about?..”I want to apologize to the American people, the Appropriate way to do that is RESIGN!”

    Report this comment

    MrKnowItAll  
  • joecaff2
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:27pm

    What she is saying is this: What everyone saw and heard me say on the five different Sunday news programs five days after the Benghazi demonstration at our Consulate on September 16, 2012 never happened. What I am saying today is the truth unless President Obama, I mean the Whitehouse tells me to say something different tomorrow then that will be the truth. In addition, you can ask everyone in the media what I said and even though they recorded every word, they too will agree that I never said what everyone heard me say and that President Obama never told me to say what you think you heard me say back on September 16, 2012. In addition, we all know that it was the You Tube video that was the real cause of this street crime, these Libyan’s (all of whom have computers and Internet service) feelings were really, really hurt by that mean video about their religion and what was said about Mohammad. In closing, I never said what you think I said on September 16 nor did our good honest President Obama tell me what to say and we all know that he and the media would NEVER lie to the American people. So, can I be the next Secretary of State or are you racists Republican’s going to prevent me from taking over because I am black and a woman?

    Report this comment

    joecaff2  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:23pm

      @joecaff2
      You might want to change September 16, 2012 to September 11, 2012.

      Report this comment

      The-Monk  
    • txn4justice
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 10:51pm

      Street crime?

      I thought this was just classified as “work place” violence.

      Funny how the murdered Americans and what was NOT done to save them has been pushed aside in all the lying, excuses and cover-ups.

      Report this comment

      txn4justice  
  • chips1
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:19pm

    Seems odd that she would love to discuss it with McCain, however, what about WE THE PEOPLE?Answer our questions!!! I didn’t think so.

    Report this comment

    chips1  
  • MiCurmudgeon
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:13pm

    Bull Crap !!!!

    Report this comment

    MiCurmudgeon  
  • HKS
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:13pm

    Liberals take lying to new levels and keep a straight face doing it. This one is branded across the forehead.

    Report this comment

    HKS  
  • Dushman Kush
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:06pm

    Having watched Madeleine Albright state that the deaths of more than 500,000 Iraqi children during the Bush-Blair War were acceptable, I speak for all the Comrades when I say I am enormously proud of our present U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Not only does Susan Rice exhibit Good Form at all times, but she is also smart and beautiful. When Valerie Jarrett is elected President in 2016, she will no doubt retain the services of this admirable Comrade.

    Report this comment

    Dushman Kush  
    • GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:37pm

      Hahahahahahahaha…….you are lucky somebody has a very strong Wi-Fi signal near to your asylum and the guard forgot the laptop in your room!!

      Report this comment

      GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas  
    • skippy6
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:49pm

      Really??? Susan Rice is Okay looking…. Valarie Jarret??? Bark at the moon… Please take the beer goggles off……

      Report this comment

      skippy6  
    • bTeri
      Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:25pm

      Wow…SOMEONE has clearly forgotten to take their meds today. Rice is a dishonest, smug bull in a China shop that has clearly not performed in her career worthy of a promotion to Secretary of State and now has proven herself completely untrustworthy to be effective on the world stage of diplomacy. Rice blatantly lied to the American people over and over on Sept 12, 2012 on the Sunday news shows when she was well aware from Cabinet level briefings that the intelligence was very heavily dominated by pre planned terrorism and not a spontaneous protest due to an anti Muslim video, Where is the back up data? The proof that her ******** story on the Sunday shows was actually a real possibility? I keep very current with world news and have yet to read one story of substance that speaks of an intelligence report regarding spontaneous attacks and anti Muslim videos in Benghazi– THATS BECAUSE THEY NEVER EXISTED.

      Rice has no noteworthy accomplishments in her current or previous positions that warrant her consideration to replace Clinton. She was one of the key players responsible for the US not accepting the Sudan’s offer (actually several offers) to hand over bin Laden on a silver platter during the Clinton years, and now as the US Ambassador to the UN it took Rice 4 years to come up with a single sanction against Iran, with the weakest support of the Security Council to date and completely watered down with exceptions due to Russian and Chinese dissention.

      Report this comment

      bTeri  
  • Big Media Bias
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:03pm

    First, yes I am a racist. I own a racist shield. It’s called a thick political skin, superior intelligence and factual knowledge of the facts. Second, this woman should be prosecuted along with Obama, Biden, Petraeus, Clapper and every single Democrat in the Executive branch for their crimes, lies and fraud. Capital Punishment for all.

    Report this comment

    Big Media Bias  
  • lookes2003
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:02pm

    Worthless lying be0tch!

    Report this comment

    lookes2003  
  • Proverbs17-12NLT
    Posted on November 21, 2012 at 7:59pm

    It was just a youtube video, yeah right……….

    Report this comment

    Proverbs17-12NLT  
1 2

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love