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Obama to hold first full White House press conference for 253 days

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President Barack Obama is to hold his first full press conference for more than eight months today and is certain to face questioning about what he knew and when about Benghazi as well as the circumstances of his CIA director's resignation.

It is 253 days since Obama held a White House press conference on March 6th. Them his first official campaign rally was two months away Rick Santorum, the former U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, was briefly ascendant in the Republican presidential primaries.

Obama is likely to want to trumpet the political capital he gained by winning re-election over Mitt Romney in an electoral college landslide. Aides hope he can use fresh political leverage to engineer a 'grand bargain' with Congress to avoid falling over the 'fiscal cliff'.

To speak: President Obama, left, will give his first press conference in more than eight months, and is expected to be asked about the scandal of David Petraeus, second right

Absolute: Obama is sure to face questions over the affair of shamed former CIA David Petraeus, left, and his Paula Broadwell, co-author of his biography 'All In'

But reporters are certain to press him on the events in Benghazi on September 11th when Ambassador Chris Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith and CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were killed.

The White House initially suggested the deaths were the work of demonstrators angered by a crude anti-Islam movie made in California. But it soon became clear that the attack was pre-planned and carried out by al-Qaeda-linked guerillas.

Obama hoped to be able to bask in the glory of his election victory. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a Washington sex scandal that has only intensified the desire for answers about Benghazi.

  More... Nancy Pelosi decides to STAY in Congress after losing Democratic majority in House... as she blasts reporter for question about her age No wonder she’s turned to drink! General Petraeus’s mistress spotted in brother’s home as it’s revealed she took ‘significant amounts’ of classified military documents – so will she now be charged? General John Allen's 'flirtatious' emails to Florida socialite 'were like phone sex' Jill Kelley has military access REVOKED at Tampa base during inquiry into thousands of 'flirtatious' emails between Petraeus' whistleblower and top general Ryan pins blame for Republican ticket's loss on 'urban' voters as it's revealed that Romney did not win a single vote in 59 Philadelphia voting districts

He will be asked about why Petraeus resigned, whether it was linked to the Benghazi issue and why the former general's affair only emerged after the election despite it having been know about by the FBI and Attorney General Eric Holder for weeks or even months.

Intelligence committee members on Capitol Hill are livid that they weren't told until Friday - the day after Obama is said to have been told - that the CIA director had been the subject of a months-long FBI investigation that scrutinised his  emails and exposed an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.

Obama has not yet commented on Petraeus' resignation, the involvement of Gen John Allen, Petraeus' successor in Afghanistan, and Allen's stalled confirmation hearings for his new post as Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Briefing: Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke at the daily press briefing, discussing the scandals surrounding the extramarital affair of former CIA Director Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell

Questioning: Reporters are sure to ask him about the deadly attack in September of the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya

Senator Dianne Feinstein,  Senate Intelligence Committee chair  and a Democrat, has said she and her  colleagues  should have been informed  much sooner about the FBI inquiry into Petraeus, Braodwell and the Tampa socialite Jill Kelley.

Deadly attack: U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack

Representative Peter King, House Homeland Security chair and intelligence committee member, has asked why the FBI even got involved in what was apparently a minor case of cyber harassment.

Some intelligence officials believe Petraeus was a victim of over-sensitivity following cases such as Brett McGurk, who withdrew his nomination as Iraq ambassador after emails were leaked showing he'd had an affair with a journalist, and the use of prostitutes by Secret Service personnel in Colombia.

Obama is sure to be pressed on whether there is a possibility that tax revenues can be increased by closing loopholes or whether he will insist on tax rate for the rich being increased.

He will also be asked what his plans are for reshaping his national security team - a task made more urgent by the resignation of Petraeus.

In particular, journalists will be hoping to learn whether he will nominate Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, or Senator John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.

Obama faced the White House press corps in August when he appeared unannounced in the briefing room. But he only took four questions that day and the whole session lasted less than 30 minutes.

Appointment? Journalists will be hoping to learn whether he will nominate Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the UN, or Sen John Kerry, pictured with Obama in 2009, to replace Clinton as Secretary of State

While running for re-election he largely ignored White House reporters in favour of local outlets and entertainment shows. 

Pushed  on why he wasn't taking more questions from the national media, Obama aides said he could reach more swing state voters via local news.

Those interviews were largely filled with predictable softball questions, though one Colorado news anchor drew  praise for fiercely questioning Obama over conflicting White House accounts in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.






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