December 14, 2012

Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released the following statement tonight:

“Ambassador Rice is eminently qualified to serve as Secretary of State and she could have been confirmed by the Senate. The politically-motivated attacks on her character from some of my Republican colleagues were shameful. Based on her impressive career and accomplishments as a Rhodes Scholar, a top official in the State Department and our Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Rice deserved far more respect than she was shown by certain Senate Republicans.  Their behavior was a disgrace to the Senate’s tradition of bipartisan cooperation on national security issues, and beneath the stature of senators with otherwise distinguished records on national security. I hope that moving forward, senators will act based on fact-finding and serving the public interest, not advancing partisan political agendas or settling old scores.”

"I believe Ambassador Rice should continue to help steer our nation's foreign policy, as she has done so successfully, and I look forward to continuing to work with her."

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