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State: No Info on Whether Benghazi Was Planned Until Investigation Complete

September 21, 2012

Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the State Department would not have "further information to share" on whether the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was premeditated until the completion of two investigations at a Friday press briefing.

REPORTER: Is it still the administration’s position, at least publicly, that the information you have suggests that this was a protest—a somewhat peaceful protest—that got hijacked by militants. Is—that’s what Ambassador Rice said Sunday, that’s what people have said, and I’m just wondering is that—are you sticking with that? Or is that position evolving?

NULAND: I don’t have any updates to the public statements that have been made by many administration principals over the course of the week. Some of them have been have been updated, particularly on the intelligence side, as more information has become available. From this podium, we are simply going to say, we now have an FBI investigation, we have an ARB (Accountability Review Board), and we don’t anticipate having further information to share until those two come forward.

Sec. Hillary Clinton said Friday the Sept. 11 attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, was a "terrorist attack" -- the first time Clinton has labeled the violence as such. Her designation follows White House press secretary Jay Carney informing reporters that it was "self-evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack" during Thursday press availability.