When House Speaker John Boehner spoke to the media yesterday again about his decision to form a special committee on Benghazi, he made it abundantly clear that the investigation would not be a partisan witch-hunt or show trial to score political points. Rather, it was going to be an impartial inquiry convened for the sole purpose of learning the truth about what happened that night:
“This all about getting to the truth. It’s not going to be a side show. It’s not going to be a circus. This is a serious investigation.”
Rep Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who you'll recall was hand-selected by Boehner to lead the investigation, echoed his boss' comments in an op-ed published yesterday at USA Today. In that piece, he laid out the reasons for why the special committee is necessary -- and indeed critical -- to the House's ongoing investigation:
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is right to convene a select committee devoted to uncovering all relevant facts connected to Benghazi, just as the House committees of jurisdiction were right to investigate Benghazi before this. Despite the passage of 20 months, there remain unresolved questions.
Why was security for our facility in Libya inadequate, and why were repeated calls for additional security unheeded and, indeed, explicitly rejected? Was our military response during the pendency of the siege sufficient? And in the days and weeks after the attack, was the Obama administration transparent and forthright with our fellow Americans in describing the impetus behind the attack?
Moreover, no one has been arrested, prosecuted, or punished for the murders of our fellow Americans. These outstanding questions, and others, are legitimate, and seeking the answer to these questions should be an apolitical process.
And yet, despite these unanswered questions, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that forming a special committee on Benghazi is essentially a waste of time:
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that she is "absolutely" satisfied with what she knows about the Benghazi terror attack, and cast doubt on the intentions of House Republicans spearheading a select committee to investigate it.
"I mean of course there are a lot of reasons why, despite all of the hearings, all of the information that’s been provided, some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward," Clinton said in an appearance in New York.
"That’s their choice and I do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in the Congress," she said.
No reason for it? Here's one: Pat Smith and others who've lost loved ones are still waiting for answers. Thus, forming a bipartisan committee of lawmakers to investigate what happened seems to be the best way to get them some.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member