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Susan Rice takes critics to task

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    UN ambassador defends statements made post-Benghazi attack

  • Duration 4:45
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This transcript is automatically generated

And a fox surgeon now for the first time tonight United Nations ambassador Susan Rice is fighting back against her critics.

First the back story here she went on 5 Sunday morning talk shows days after the attack.

On the consulate in Ben Ghazi and it killed our ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

And said it was due to anger over that film insulting Islam well we now know that was wrong.

US officials acknowledge it was a coordinated.

Terror attack Republican lawmaker said ambassador rice was either deliberately misleading or quotes.

Incompetent.

Just minutes ago she spoke at the UN and took those critics to task.

-- -- When discussing the attacks against our facilities and -- Ghazi.

I relied solely and squarely.

On the information provided to me by the intelligence community.

I made clear that the information was preliminary.

And that our investigations.

Would give us the definitive answers.

Every one.

Particularly the intelligence community has worked in good faith to provide the best assessment based on the information available.

Last week Republican lawmakers push back -- word that the White House was -- ambassador rice to be the next secretary of state they said what she said on those Sunday morning shows.

Makes her.

Unfit for the job.

-- -- -- -- DC and Catherine she mentioned what are her biggest critics by name.

Well she did Trace ambassador rice also making an offer to Senator John McCain.

Let me be very clear I have great respect for Senator McCain in his service to our country I always have.

And I always will.

I do think that some of the statements he made about me have been unfounded but I look forward to having opportunity at the appropriate time to discuss all of this with.

Earlier today Senator McCain weighing in on the administration's inconsistent public statements on the Ben Ghazi terrorist attack the statement from -- McCain reads in part.

This latest episode is another reason why many of us are so frustrated with and suspicious of the actions of this administration.

When it comes to the Ben Ghazi attack the senator has said he will push back against rice -- promotion.

So have other senators along with 97 members in the house and all of them are Republican Trace.

And get in the Republicans are still hammering away on this issue right.

Well they are in this letter sent earlier today Republican senator Lindsey Graham charges that the Obama administration has failed to respond to at least a dozen congressional letters.

Adding that the Obama White House was keen to provide details on the bin Laden raid that should offer the same transparency on in Ghazi.

It's unfair to the American people and the families of the victims of the Ben -- attack.

To not provide the same level and he's -- -- and accounting for what I consider a major national security failure.

On Thursday last week classified session Fox News is told that James clapper head of the US intelligence community was definite.

His team did not make controversial changes to the talking points.

Used by ambassador Susan Rice critics say the changes by taking -- the word al-Qaeda played down the terrorism angle.

And on Tuesday this week in a total reversal clapper is office says they were responsible for the changes.

I think clapper has to say and has to say publicly whether he advocated the YouTube video theory.

Whether he pressed it on the White House and others in the intelligence community and if so did he do that at the direction of the White House.

Democrats accuse the Republicans of politicizing this issue arguing -- the changes made to the talking points.

Used by ambassador rice those changes were made simply for reasons to protect classified information -- And Catherine what do we make of the timing here.

That the timing is very important in in the last week we've had several major events in the story we had the classified briefings on Capitol Hill last week.

Where the nation's top intelligence official told lawmakers.

That he didn't know who was responsible for these changes and that the changes were not made in the intelligence community they were made after the document left the intelligence community.

Then this week we have a total reversal a spokesman for James clapper saying that in fact the substantially changes so the big changes in the document.

Were made by the intelligence community.

Then less than 24 hours later we have these first public statements from ambassador Susan Rice where she says.

I just use the information that I was given by the intelligence community and they've essentially taken the blame for any mistakes in those documents.

And then the final point is that all of this goes down on a holiday weekend when many Americans are not paying attention to the media.

Americans on the road Catherine Herridge live -- in DC Catherine thank you well a bunch of huge.

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