'This Week' Transcript: Sen. John McCain and Sen. Jack Reed

May 12, 2013— -- A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday morning, May 12, 2013 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARTHA RADDATZ, HOST: Good morning. Welcome to This Week. The fallout.

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HICKS: I've got the Ambassador on the other line. He said, "Greg, we're under attack!"

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RADDATZ: New hearings, and new revelations on Benghazi. Is it a political cover-up?

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BOEHNER: The White House has done everything possible to block access.

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RADDATZ: Or politics as usual?

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CARNEY: Republicans have chosen to politicize this.

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RADDATZ: Will it hurt the president, or Hillary Clinton? Well ask our headliners, Senators John McCain and Jack Reed. Plus...

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OBAMA: I don't make decisions based on perceived.

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RADDATZ: Obama's red line on Syria.

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CHRISTIE: This is a hell of a lot more important to me, than running for president.

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RADDATZ: Chris Christie's surprise. And on this Mother's Day, top moms in Congress in our Sunday Spotlight.

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(UNKNOWN FEMALE): We have a woman's bathroom right off of the floor.

(UNKNOWN FEMALE2): First time...

(UNKNOWN FEMALE): First time in 200 years.

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ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Reporting from the Newseum in Washington, Martha Raddatz.

RADDATZ: Hello again. George is off today, great to have you with us. The political storm over Benghazi is brewing anew this morning. The Obama administration on the defensive, after ABC News obtained emails showing extensive edits to the disputed talking points issued after the attack. When one version suggested al-Qaeda affiliates took part, and the CIA warned of threats, Secretary Clinton's spokesperson objected writing, that could be abused by members of Congress to beat up the State Department for not paying attention to warnings, so why would we want to feed that?

Friday my colleague, Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl, who exclusively obtained the emails, questioned White House Spokesperson Jay Carney.

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KARL: The original version included references to al-Qaeda. Those were taken out after the CIA wrote its official draft?

CARNEY: And then the CIA wrote another draft...

KARL: Based on input from the State Department.

CARNEY: ...well, but here -- here's what I've been saying...

KARL: Do you deny that?

CARNEY: No, Jon. There was an interagency process, which is always the case. Because a lot of agencies have stakes. The whole effort here by Republicans to find some hidden mystery, comes to nothing. Because the president called it an act of terror.

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RADDATZ: Joining us now, Republican Senator John McCain. Nice to have you here, Senator McCain. What do you make of the White House response?

MCCAIN: Could I just pick up on what you just showed Mr. Carney say? The president didn't call it an act of terror. In fact, two weeks later before the U.N. he was talking about hateful videos and spontaneous demonstrations.

RADDATZ: I think the White House would probably say, there was the remark that it was a terror attack...

MCCAIN: No, what he said...

RADDATZ: ...rather indirect.