(notes from my FNC Kara Rowland below)
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, just spoke to reporters ON CAMERA following the appearance by Petraeus:
-I think it was very positive that Gen Petraeus to come before committee
-He addressed first briefing he gave to lawmakers
-He clarified that there were extremists in the group
-”It’s all about your perception and the information” you receive
-the info changes and evolves
-If you look at the facts and what we learned yesterday the first incident was different than second incident in annex
-On Rice comments – she got a lot of the same info we got – compared to Colin Powell at the UN
-Petraeus was not a part of briefing Susan Rice
-I didn’t talk to Susan Rice, all I know is what she said
-Petraeus also talked about his trip to Libya
-On his affair Petraeus said he was very sorry, resignation had nothing to do with testifying, affair had nothing to do with how he handled Benghazi
-Ruppersberger not sure if al qaeda was taken out of the talking points or not, has to check
-we want to get it right; intelligence is an evolving process
-Gen Petraeus was one of few ppl who had both military and intel experience
-I hope he’ll be able to give his advice in some way going forward – the transition in Afghanistan
-Asked whether helping Petraeus hide from the media was a condition of him coming before the committee, Ruppersberger said he didn’t know of any special arrangements
Kara Rowland
Capitol Hill producer, Fox News
