[h=3]By SARA MURRAY[/h]WASHINGTON—Ambassador Susan Rice's attempt to repair her standing with Senate Republicans appeared to fall short Tuesday, as a trio of GOP senators remained harshly critical of comments she made following the U.S. consulate attack in Libya.
Associated PressSen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), center, flanked by fellow committee members, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), right, speaks on Capitol Hill on Tuesday following a meeting with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice.
Ms. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations who is seen as the front-runner to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visited Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with Republicans who had previously vowed to block her nomination. Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire said the meeting left them more concerned than ever about the public statements Ms. Rice made in the wake of the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya.
"All I can say is that the concerns I have are greater today than they were before," Mr. Graham said after the meeting. "We're not even close to getting the basic answers."
In a statement issued after Tuesday's meeting, Ms. Rice acknowledged that her public comments about the attack in several television interviews days afterward were incorrect, but said they were based on evolving intelligence. In those interviews, Ms. Rice said the attack grew out of protests over an anti-Islamic video; officials later said there was no protest in Benghazi that day.
"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," she said in her statement. "While we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has evolved."
Ms. Rice added that she didn't intend to mislead the American people and said that "the administration updated Congress and the American people as our assessments evolved."
Criticism of Ms. Rice by the Republican senators appeared to be abating earlier this week, but the meeting renewed hostilities. That may complicate Ms. Rice's chances for the secretary of state slot. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat, is another possibility for the job. President Barack Obama may announce his choice as soon as this week.
Ms. Ayotte said she would use her ability as a senator to try to single-handedly block the confirmation of Ms. Rice or another nominee.
"Absolutely, there will be a hold," she said later Tuesday. "My view is we should hold on this until we get sufficient information."
The Benghazi attacks and the administration's handling of them are under investigation by several congressional committees, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a State Department panel.
Mr. McCain said he was "troubled" after his meeting with Ms. Rice and Michael Morell, acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"It is clear that the information that she gave the American people was incorrect when she said that it was a spontaneous demonstration triggered by a…video," Mr. McCain said after the meeting. "There was compelling evidence at the time that that was certainly not the case."
Ms. Ayotte said there was clear evidence early on that people with ties to al Qaeda had carried out the Libya attack, and she accused the administration of circulating information it knew was inaccurate. "Obviously, the changes made to the unclassified talking points were misleading," Ms. Ayotte said Tuesday, questioning why Ms. Rice didn't engage in deeper preparation before she spoke publicly about the attack.
"Before anybody can make an intelligent decision about promoting someone involved in Benghazi, we need to do a lot more," Mr. Graham said.
Write to Sara Murray at [email protected]
Associated PressSen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), center, flanked by fellow committee members, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), right, speaks on Capitol Hill on Tuesday following a meeting with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice.
Ms. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations who is seen as the front-runner to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visited Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with Republicans who had previously vowed to block her nomination. Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire said the meeting left them more concerned than ever about the public statements Ms. Rice made in the wake of the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya.
"All I can say is that the concerns I have are greater today than they were before," Mr. Graham said after the meeting. "We're not even close to getting the basic answers."
In a statement issued after Tuesday's meeting, Ms. Rice acknowledged that her public comments about the attack in several television interviews days afterward were incorrect, but said they were based on evolving intelligence. In those interviews, Ms. Rice said the attack grew out of protests over an anti-Islamic video; officials later said there was no protest in Benghazi that day.
"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," she said in her statement. "While we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has evolved."
Ms. Rice added that she didn't intend to mislead the American people and said that "the administration updated Congress and the American people as our assessments evolved."
Criticism of Ms. Rice by the Republican senators appeared to be abating earlier this week, but the meeting renewed hostilities. That may complicate Ms. Rice's chances for the secretary of state slot. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat, is another possibility for the job. President Barack Obama may announce his choice as soon as this week.
Ms. Ayotte said she would use her ability as a senator to try to single-handedly block the confirmation of Ms. Rice or another nominee.
"Absolutely, there will be a hold," she said later Tuesday. "My view is we should hold on this until we get sufficient information."
The Benghazi attacks and the administration's handling of them are under investigation by several congressional committees, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a State Department panel.
Mr. McCain said he was "troubled" after his meeting with Ms. Rice and Michael Morell, acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"It is clear that the information that she gave the American people was incorrect when she said that it was a spontaneous demonstration triggered by a…video," Mr. McCain said after the meeting. "There was compelling evidence at the time that that was certainly not the case."
Ms. Ayotte said there was clear evidence early on that people with ties to al Qaeda had carried out the Libya attack, and she accused the administration of circulating information it knew was inaccurate. "Obviously, the changes made to the unclassified talking points were misleading," Ms. Ayotte said Tuesday, questioning why Ms. Rice didn't engage in deeper preparation before she spoke publicly about the attack.
"Before anybody can make an intelligent decision about promoting someone involved in Benghazi, we need to do a lot more," Mr. Graham said.
Write to Sara Murray at [email protected]