Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) accused the White House of hiding information from the public about the Benghazi terrorist attack in order to bolster President Barack Obama’s reelection chances, the Washington Examiner reports.
Pointing to a newly disclosed email from senior administration official Ben Rhodes, Graham said the White House created a "political smoke screen" on an issue that could damage Obama's commander-in-chief credentials.
"They were trying to create an impression to the American people that this wasn't a broader foreign policy failure and it was totally disconnected from reality on the ground," Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"They were trying to protect the president's re-election," he added. "They saw Benghazi … as a threat to his re-election. It wasn't a fog of war problem they had."
In the email, Rhodes advises then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice "to underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy" and "show that we will be resolute in bringing people who harm Americans to justice, and standing steadfast through these protests."