Tom Donilon Resigns as National Security Advisor, Susan Rice to Replace Him
National Security Advisor Tom Donilon will resign his post and is expected to be succeeded by current U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, according to White House officials.
Appointing Rice is a somewhat bold move as Republicans have been outspoken against her. Rice's misrepresentation of the attacks in Benghazi, Libya have particularly piqued the ire of the GOP. However, the National Security Advisor position appointment is done by Obama alone, he does not need Senate confirmation.
Rice had originally sought the position of Secretary of State, however that position does require Senate confirmation and Republicans threatened to block her nomination, The New York Times said.
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John Dickerson, CBS News political director, discussed Obama's decision to appoint Rice as National Security Adviser on "CBS this Morning."
"I don't think it's unhappiness [with Donilon's perfomance] ... Rice has a long relationship with the President. When she didn't get the Secretary of State job, people in the White House said that this was a real disappointment to the President because they saw the world in the same way," Dickerson said. "They wanted to have [Rice] more in the inner circle."
Susan Rice's appointment leaves the position of U.S. ambassador to the U.N. open. It is expected that Obama will appoint Samatha Power to that position, CBS reports. Power currently works as the Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights.
According to White House officials, President Obama is expected to announce the appointments of both Rice and Power later today.
