McCain decries Obama administration, U.N. Ambassador Rice

November 14, 2012

Arizona Senator John McCain wants to see a Watergate-style congressional committee to investigate the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The Sept. 11 attack killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Appearing on CBS This Morning, McCain said the Obama administration has been misleading, and that a select committee could look into unresolved questions about the incident.

McCain also said the woman rumored to be nominated as the next Secretary of State isn’t qualified. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is seen as a likely choice to replace Hillary Clinton, who plans to retire after completing her first term. McCain said Rice made incorrect statements about Benghazi, and that she spoke in defiance of the facts.

In a press conference Wednesday, President Obama struck back at McCain and other critics of the ambassador. “If Senator McCain and Senator Graham, and others, want to go after somebody, they should go after me, and I’m happy to have that discussion with them," Mr. Obama said. "But for them to go after the U.N. Ambassador who had nothing to do with Benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation, is outrageous.”

Updated 11-14-12 2:54 p.m.