Susan Rice being considered for National Security Advisor role

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations., Susan Rice. PHOTO/File

Latest reports from Washington DC indicate that the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, is to be nominated by President Barack Obama as the new National Security Advisor, replacing Thomas Donilon later this year.

Ms. Rice had initially been tipped to become Obama’s second-term secretary of state, she was forced to withdraw from consideration in December amid complaints over her handling of the Benghazi consulate attack last September in which four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.

Rice had initially suggested during TV interviews that the assault was sparked by a demonstration over a US-made anti-Muslim film. She later acknowledged that this assessment was wrong and that the attack, coinciding with the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, had been mounted by al-Qaeda-affiliated groups.

She has maintained a lower profile in the media, however, her standing within the Obama administration remains secure, according to White House officials and Democratic lawmakers. Her colleagues at the U.N. are betting she will ultimately serve as Obama’s national security adviser, probably sometime after the United States assumes the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council in July.