Los Angeles (AFP) - Netflix said on Thursday it had tapped former US national security advisor and United Nations ambassador Susan Rice to join its board of directors -- sparking an angry backlash from conservatives.

Rice, a visiting fellow at Harvard and an opinion writer for The New York Times, directed the National Security Council, providing the daily briefing to then-president Barack Obama during his second term.

This put her in charge of foreign and national security policy, intelligence and military efforts in the years following the 2012 attack on the US embassy in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead.

Rice came under fire from Republican lawmakers who accused her of underplaying the attack as a spontaneous act of violence in response to an anti-Muslim film, while Obama admitted it was a premeditated attack.

She was also berated for inappropriately "unmasking" the names of associates of President Donald Trump that appeared in intelligence reports last year.

National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch took to Twitter to describe Netflix as "the perfect place for a former staffer who blamed a terror attack on a poorly-made short film."

"Netflix doubles down in support of Obama corruption -- compromised Susan Rice, who lied repeatedly on both Benghazi and the unmasking issue joins its Board of Directors," said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative foundation Judicial Watch.

Republican Twitter users threatened to cancel their Netflix subscriptions, pointing out that that Obama himself is reportedly in talks with the streaming service for a production deal.

Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement, however, that the streaming service was "delighted" with its new hire.

"For decades, she has tackled difficult, complex global issues with intelligence, integrity and insight and we look forward to benefiting from her experience and wisdom."

Rice said she was thrilled to be joining a "cutting-edge company whose leadership, high-quality productions and unique culture" she admired deeply.