Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the Senate to confirm Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as her successor as Secretary of State and pointed out that he is already working with her “to learn the lessons of the tragedy in Benghazi.”
“Today, I spoke to Senator John Kerry and congratulated him on his nomination to be the next Secretary of State,” Clinton said in a statement today. “I also spoke with President Obama and told him that he has made an excellent choice. I hope Senator Kerry will be confirmed quickly.”
Clinton was rumored to want Kerry to replace her rather than Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, whose withdrew her name from consideration as Republican senators criticized her for telling the American people that the attack on the Benghazi mission on September 11, 2012, grew out of a spontaneous protest rather than a premeditated terrorist operation.
“[Kerry] is working closely with me and my team to learn the lessons of the tragedy in Benghazi, further protect our people and posts, and implement every single one of the Accountability Review Board’s recommendations,” Clinton said.
She also suggested that his experience as a failed presidential candidate would make him a better leader of the State Department.
“As I have learned, being able to talk candidly as someone who has won elections and also lost them is an enormous asset when engaging with emerging or fragile democracies,” Clinton said.
