President Barack Obama on Wednesday appoint U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to replace Tom Donilon as National Security Adviser. Obama made the announcement in a 2:15 p.m. address in the Rose Garden.
The move was first reported early Wednesday by the New York Times.
It's a long-expected move — in May, Foreign Policy reported that Rice was likely to get the promotion.
"Susan exemplifies the strongest tradition of American diplomacy," Obama said.
Still, it will garner attention because Rice was at the center of the original firestorm over the Obama administration's original talking points after last year's terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Rice drew scrutiny after appearing on Sunday talk shows in the days following the attack and suggested that the attack grew out of a spontaneous reaction of protest to a video — claims that turned out to be false.
Rice was being considered for the Secretary of State position, but ultimately withdrew her name amid intense criticism from Republican senators, who promised a long confirmation battle. The National Security Adviser position does not warrant Senate confirmation.
The National Security Adviser coordinates the President's national security policies with the State, Defense, and Intelligence departments.
According to reports, Obama will also appoint, Samantha Power, a human rights expert and former White House adviser, to replace Rice as U.N. Ambassador.