WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton headed to Peru Monday, where she will talk about women's empowerment. But overshadowing her trip is the lingering political drama in Washington over the Obama administration's handling of last month's deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.

Clinton left for the long-planned event in Lima after another weekend of criticism from Republicans over the Obama administration's initial explanation of the Sept. 11 attack and security at the consulate in Benghazi, where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans died.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a long-time point man for the GOP on national security issues, accused President Barack Obama's aides on Sunday of deliberately covering up the details of the attack so that voters couldn't question Obama's handling of the war on terror.