WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans are pouncing on the disclosure that the Obama administration could have known quickly that militants -- and not angry protesters -- launched last month's attack that killed four U.S. diplomats in Libya.
Officials have told The Associated Press that within 24 hours of the attack, the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington that there were eyewitness reports that the attack was carried out by militants.
But for days, the administration blamed it on an out-of-control demonstration over an American-made anti-Islam video.
Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says it's a sign of "the absolute unraveling of the Obama administration's foreign policy." He told a Wisconsin radio station (WTAQ) he's "excited" that there will be a chance at Monday night's presidential debate to talk about the issue.
Intelligence officials say the report was written late Wednesday, Sept. 12, and it reached intelligence agencies in Washington the next day. It's not clear just how widely the information was circulated.
Officials have said that the information from the CIA station chief was just one of many widely conflicting accounts.
But former CIA station chief Fred Rustmann says the White House would have been aware of it.
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