Susan Crabtree

Carney faces torrent of questions on Benghazi

Facing a fusillade of questions on the Obama administration's handling of the terrorist attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, last year, White House spokesman Jay Carney continued to assert that intelligence officials, not the White House or the State Department, scrubbed the official talking points about the assault. Published May 10, 2013

Obama: Health care law is ‘here to stay’

Amid growing concerns about the implementation of President Obama's health care law, Mr. Obama stepped up promotion of the law by pegging its benefits to this weekend's Mother's Day celebration. Published May 10, 2013

Obama to give Mother’s Day pitch to women on health care law

President Obama plans to use this weekend's Mother's Day celebration to continue to sell his 2010 health care overhaul to the public amid growing concerns about its implementation. Published May 9, 2013

Obama touts improving jobs figures in economic speech in Texas

As President Obama traveled to Texas to press his case for devoting a billion dollars to more job-growth programs, White House officials back in Washington were denying that interest in solving the country's long-term budget woes is waning among Democrats. Published May 9, 2013

White House struggles to respond to new Benghazi revelations

The White House on Wednesday stood by its story that the Obama administration remained unsure exactly who was responsible for the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi nearly five days after it occurred even though new revelations show Ansar al-Sharia's direct involvement. Published May 8, 2013

Obama renews commitment to defend South Korea

The days in which North Korean leaders could manufacture an international crisis and extract concessions from its neighbors are over, President Obama declared during a news conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye at the White House. Published May 7, 2013

Obama says military inaction on Syria is now a calculated choice

President Obama defiantly defended his reluctance to increase the U.S.intervention in Syria, saying he has yet to receive clear, corroborated evidence to back up initial intelligence reports of small-scale use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime and would not make a decision based on a "hope and a prayer." Published May 7, 2013

White House on Syria: ‘We have to be sure about the case we’re making’

The White House on Monday continued to delay a response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons on opposition forces, saying the Obama administration is still waiting for corroborating evidence of intelligence reports citing small-scale episodes of chemical-agent exposure. Published May 6, 2013

White House tries to deflect criticism from Benghazi whistle-blowers

The White House on Monday attempted to deflect new criticism on the administration's handling of the Benghazi attacks from a firsthand witness and an additional whistle-blower, arguing that an internal State Department review charged with investigating the September attacks was led by an "unimpeachable" team. Published May 6, 2013

Obama agrees to shift focus in Mexico from violence to economics

Set to begin his first second-term trip to Mexico, President Obama is treading carefully on the topic of security cooperation between the two countries and ceding to new Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's desire to shift the dialogue toward economics and away from drug cartels and violence. Published May 1, 2013

Eyewitnesses to Benghazi attack to testify before House panel

Witnesses to the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, will testify next week at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Rep. Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Republican, said. Published May 1, 2013

Obama empty-handed for gun talks in Mexico with anti-trafficking measures stalled

President Obama prepares to head to Mexico on Thursday having fallen short on several promises he has made to America's southern neighbor to clean up U.S. gun trafficking. Published April 30, 2013

Obama ‘not familiar’ with intimidation of Benghazi whistleblowers

President Obama on Tuesday said he was unaware of complaints from Benghazi whistleblowers inside his own administration who contend that they are being intimidated over their cooperation with investigators into the September 2012 attack, but pledged to look into the matter. Published April 30, 2013

Solis had up to $100K in legal debts when she resigned

Former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who resigned from the Obama administration in January to return to California, left Washington with $50,000 to $100,000 in legal debts, according to her final personal financial disclosure form, which she was required to file upon resigning her post. Published April 26, 2013

‘We stand with you,’ Obama tells devastated Texas town

In a solemn tribute sprinkled with Scripture, words of assurance and resolve, President Obama told mourners at a memorial service for those who lost their lives in last week's fertilizer-plant explosion in Texas that their loved ones will not be forgotten and promised to provide assistance to help rebuild and reclaim their community. Published April 25, 2013

Obama to mourning Texans: ‘You are not alone, you are not forgotten’

In a solemn tribute sprinkled with scripture, words of assurance and resolve, President Obama told mourners at a memorial service for those who lost their lives in last week's fertilizer-plant explosion in Texas that their loved ones will not be forgotten and promised to provide assistance to help rebuild and reclaim their community. Published April 25, 2013

Feinstein urges strong U.N. action in response to Syria’s chemical weapons use

Sen. Dianne Feinstein reacted to White House confirmation that forces loyal to Syria President Bashar Assad have used chemical weapons on their own people by urging the United Nations Security Council to take "strong and meaningful action" to end the crisis in Syria. Published April 25, 2013

Benghazi investigators demand cable signed by Clinton; White House balks

The White House accused Republicans of a political distraction Wednesday after House committee chairmen asked President Obama to release a State Department cable that they said would prove Hillary Rodham Clinton, as secretary off state, signed off on security cuts at the diplomatic post in Benghazi ahead of the attack Sept. 11. Published April 24, 2013

Obama backs out of Planned Parenthood keynote address

President Obama has canceled plans to deliver a keynote address at Planned Parenthood's annual fundraising dinner Thursday night, citing a desire to spend more time with family of the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas. Published April 24, 2013

George W. to Jeb: We need a Bush in the White House in 2016

As President Bush prepares for Thursday's opening of his library on the campus of Southern Methodist University, he's already pushing his younger brother Jeb to begin the next chapter of the Bush family political legacy. Published April 24, 2013