After today’s meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice regarding Benghazi, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), emerged more troubled than ever.
Said McCain: “We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn’t get, concerning evidence that was overwhelming leading up to the attack on our consulate, [and] the tragic deaths of four brave Americans.”
McCain said the degree to which Rice was prepped for her Sept. 16 comments was not clear, but what was clear was the fact that “the information she gave the American people was incorrect,” when she described the Benghazi attack “as a spontaneous demonstration triggered by a hateful video.” Added McCain: “There was strong evidence at the time that this was not correct.”
Said Ayotte: “I can say I am more troubled today…having met with Ambassador Rice. Because it’s certainly clear from the beginning we knew those with ties to Al Qaeda were involved in the attack on the embassy…and that the information that was given to the American people was wrong.”
Ayotte said Ambassador Rice was wrong, the CIA was wrong, and the President was wrong. And she added that neither the CIA nor the President have come out to admit they were wrong or set the record the straight.
Said Graham: “I’m more disturbed now than I was before. [Ambassador Rice’s Sept. 16 statement] was a statement disconnected from reality.”
He said he was perplexed because just “a little bit of inquiry and curiosity” would have shown that Al Qaeda was behind the attack from the start: “The American people got bad information on Sept 16 [from Ambassador Rice] and they got bad information from President Obama.”
Graham says the scenario given by Rice and Obama was “unjustified” three weeks before an election. He says it would have been better had they said nothing at all.