President Obama Taps Susan Rice for National Security Adviser
President Obama announced that he’s replacing his current National Security Adviser, Tom Donilon, with Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
As you might recall, Obama’s plan to nominate Rice for Secretary of State was foiled by a torrent of GOP criticism.
Not this time; the National Security Adviser position does not require Senate confirmation.
Rice, a close Obama confidante, came under withering criticism from Republicans as part of the investigations in to the deadly attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi. Relying on talking points from the intelligence community, Rice said in television interviews that the attacks were likely spontaneous, which was later proven incorrect.
Obama considered nominating Rice as his second-term secretary of state, but she withdrew amid the GOP criticism, saying she didn’t want her confirmation fight to be a distraction for the White House. The President instead nominated John Kerry, who easily won confirmation from his former Senate colleagues.
Rice’s new post as national security adviser does not require Senate confirmation. A White House official confirmed the foreign policy personnel changes Wednesday morning ahead of a planned announcement by the President in the afternoon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the changes before they were publicly announced.
Thoughts on Susan Rice?
Will she make a good National Security Adviser?
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