Washington – Susan Rice To Replace Tom Donlion As Obama’s National Security Adviser

    7

    File photo of President Barack Obama at the United Nations in New York talking to Susan Rice and to Tom Donilon. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)Washington – President Barack Obama’s top national security adviser Tom Donilon is resigning and will be replaced by Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. who has been a lightning rod for Republican criticism over faulty explanations for the attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    Donilon has been a key foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama. But the 58-year-old had been expected to depart sometime this year, with Rice seen as the likely candidate to replace him. Her selection is sure to anger congressional Republicans, who have accused the administration of inconsistency and a cover-up in the Benghazi attacks.

    Rice, a close Obama confidante, came under withering criticism from Republicans as part of the investigations into 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.

    Obama will also name Samantha Power, a human rights expert and former White House adviser, to replace Rice at the United Nations. Power left the White House earlier this year.

    Power won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction for her book “A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,” which examined U.S. foreign policy toward genocide in the 20th century. She is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School.

    The White House official said Donilon is expected to stay on the job until early July, after Obama wraps up overseas trips to Europe and Africa, as well as an unusual summit in California later this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Donilon has overseen a foreign policy agenda at the White House that put increased emphasis on the U.S. relationship with Asia. He’s also played a key role in the administration’s counterterrorism strategy, including the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, and in managing the complex U.S. ties with Russia.

    Rice, who first started working for Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign, has a close relationship with the president and many of his advisers. She’s known for being outspoken on human rights issues and also pushed for a more interventionist strategy in Libya.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    7 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    ComeOn
    ComeOn
    10 years ago

    Corruption.

    ItsMyOpinion
    ItsMyOpinion
    10 years ago

    The key here is “No Senate confirmation necessary.” Obviously she was promised something for taking the Benghazi fall.

    iamoverhere
    iamoverhere
    10 years ago

    great move obama, rice did such a great job on Benghazi, I am sure she will be an outstanding lier in your administration

    is there anyone there doesn’t lie, cheat, steal……………this is the most corrupt administration this country has ever seen

    Shimon
    Shimon
    10 years ago

    “Relying on talking points from the intelligence community.” Why does this rubbish survive? At this point, we at least know, the video charade was concocted by WH operatives to save face after telling the nation at the Dem convention that we had won a victory over terrorism.
    The real scary part of the story is Samantha Power, author of the “Responsibility to Protect” Doctrine- the harshest opponent of Israel in the administration.

    ikleinit
    ikleinit
    10 years ago

    Don’t forget to set up her secret email account

    10 years ago

    Wow, he is really rubbing it into our noses!

    leahle
    leahle
    10 years ago

    Glad so many of you have an interest in politics. Since it is so upsetting that Susan Rice read talking points that someone else prepared for her and that turned out to be incorrect (with Congressional investigations finding no evidence of criminal activity or conspiracy), I’m sure you went apoplectic over those talking points about Saddam’s attempted yellowcake uranium purchase (proven to be a lie), the metal tubes for nuclear weapons (proven to be a lie) and his WMDs (never found) that certain members of the previous administration said in public to justify a war.