McCain seeks seat on Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has expressed interest in joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next year, pending approval from GOP Senate leadership, setting up a marquee confirmation fight between the Arizona Republican and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice should she be nominated to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, according to Foreign Policy.
McCain has been one of Rice's most relentless antagonists in the Senate, raising questions about her statements in the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The senator has called Rice "not very bright" and accused her of misleading the American public on the nature of those attacks to shield President Obama's administration from the political fallout.
Rice, in appearances on several Sunday talk shows shortly after the attack, portrayed the incident as the result of a spontaneous demonstration, not a premeditated terrorist attack. She has since indicated that her assessment was based on the best intelligence available at the time, arguing that as more information came in, her assessment changed.
- Amb. Rice says she gave the best information she had
- Who changed the Benghazi talking points?
- McCain: Rice still has explaining to do
McCain is wrapping up his term as the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and does not currently hold a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers confirmed that "Senator McCain has expressed interest in joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but no final decisions on committee assignments have been made."