Hillary Clinton to testify in Benghazi attack probe

Former CIA director David Petraeus testifies Friday before the House Intelligence Committee about the deadly September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees began closed-door hearings Thursday on the attack in which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials testified Thursday.

In another development, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before a committee next month.

The US secretary of state said in October that she takes responsibility for the Benghazi incident.

“The secretary has committed to testifying before our committee … on the Accountability Review Board’s report, which is expected to be concluded by early to mid-December,” Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chairwoman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday.

The US state department launched an independent Accountability Review Board to review the circumstances surrounding the Benghazi attack, which killed four Americans including Christopher Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya.

On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama told Republican senators that if they have a problem with the handling of the Benghazi attack in Libya, to “go after him” rather than pick on Susan Rice, his ambassador to the UN and a possible contender to replace Clinton, who does not intend to stay, or for another top post.

Obama’s comments, in a combative tone, came after two senior Republican senators said they would block any attempts by the president to put Rice, tipped to be recommended as secretary of state, into a cabinet position that would require Senate confirmation.

Republicans have criticised Rice for going on a round of Sunday talk shows five days after the September 11 attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi and saying that preliminary information suggested it was the result of protests over an anti-Muslim film rather than a premeditated strike.

The White House has said repeatedly the comments were based on the best information Rice had at the time.

Republicans have used her early assessment as a cudgel for criticising the administration as not being forthcoming about what happened in Benghazi, and the senators’ remarks on Wednesday suggested they would continue to pursue the issue.

“We will do whatever’s necessary to block the nomination that’s within our power as far as Susan Rice is concerned,” Republican Senator John McCain, who was joined by fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, said.

“For them to go after the UN 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,” Obama said.

The attack in Benghazi has raised questions about the security of the diplomatic mission, US intelligence about the threat, and the adequacy of the immediate US response.

The issue continues to be a sensitive one for the administration after Obama’s re-election last week as he shapes his cabinet for a second term.

Many lawmakers are concerned over whether there was adequate security at the consulate, and if the Obama administration later attempted to hide information to avoid any embarrassment before the November 6 presidential election.

Petraeus resigned his post as the leader of the Central Intelligence Agency last week following an FBI investigation that uncovered his extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The incident raised concerns about a possible breach of national security.

Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that he felt