U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said Thursday that she is withdrawing her name from consideration for Secretary of State.
“If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities,” Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama obtained by NBC News. “That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country…Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time.”
Rice had been viewed as a front-runner to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State . Her candidacy came under fire from Republicans over remarks she made on Sunday television shows following the September 11 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Speaking from declassified talking points, Rice said preliminary intelligence showed the attack was a spontaneous reaction over an anti-Islamic film posted to YouTube. Later intelligence revealed that the attack, which killed four Americans, was planned. Rice said she relied “solely and squarely on information provided by the intelligence community” in her Sunday show statements at the U.N. on November 21.
After meeting with Rice and acting CIA Director Mike Morrell less than a week later, Republican Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said they were “more troubled” than they were before and vowed to block her nomination until and unless their remaining questions were answered. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who later met with Rice, echoed the sentiment.
McCain thanked Rice for her service and vowed to “continue to seek the facts” about the Benghazi attacks in a statement Thursday, as did Graham, who charged the Obama administration with “stonewalling when it comes to providing the relevant information.”
President Obama called Rice “an extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant” in a statement Thursday.









