Barack Obama has accused prominent Republican senators of an "outrageous" attack on the character of Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN and potential nominee as secretary of state, in alleging a cover up over the Benghazi attack that killed the American ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.
The president denounced senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham for saying they would attempt to block Rice from leading the state department if Obama nominated her because she either lied or was incompetent in saying that the attack in Libya on September 11 was spontaneous and that there was no evidence of a link to al-Qaida.
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