Pelosi, Hoyer Send Letter to Boehner on Select Committee on Benghazi

Washington, D.C. – This evening, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner regarding his proposal to establish a Select Committee on Benghazi.

Below is the full text of the letter:

May 6, 2014

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives

H-232, The Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner,

The attacks in Benghazi were a national tragedy and we join the families of the four Americans who died in mourning their loss.  It was appropriate for there to be bipartisan efforts to learn the facts around this tragedy, and there were thorough bipartisan investigations that found no evidence of a cover-up or an attempt to mislead anyone. Unfortunately, for the past year and a half, the House Republican investigations into the attacks in Benghazi have been characterized by extreme and counter-productive partisanship.

Republican staff reports have been issued with no consultation or input from Democratic Members, Democratic Committee Members have been denied equal access to witnesses, and fact-finding delegations to Libya have excluded Democratic Members, in violation of your own rules.  In addition, documents and transcript excerpts have been leaked to the press without any official action by the committees.

This approach is not only unfair, but it is unwise.  Republican Members have made numerous accusations in public over the past year that have turned out to be untrue after further investigation, undermining the credibility of the investigation and the House.

The House investigations stand in stark contrast to the bipartisan investigations in the Senate, in which Senators Lieberman and Collins issued a bipartisan report, as did the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

More than a new chairman is needed to correct the obvious deficiencies in this partisan Republican oversight.  What is needed is a fundamentally different approach.

Earlier today, House Democrats put forward several criteria to make the Select Committee on Benghazi truly bipartisan.  We asked that Democrats and Republicans should have equal representation on the panel.  We also believe Democrats should have a real and equal voice on the committee, including on (1) the issuance of subpoenas, (2) the manner in which witnesses would be questioned and deposed, and (3) the specific protocols governing how documents and other information would be obtained, used, and potentially released by the committee.

In the draft resolution you provided today, you appear to have rejected these principles.  To the contrary, your legislation would explicitly exempt the new select committee from adopting written rules.

If you truly want this new select committee to be bipartisan and fair – and to be taken seriously by the American people – we call on you to reconsider this approach before bringing this measure to the House floor for a vote.

Another partisan review that serves only to politicize these attacks is disrespectful and unworthy of the American people.

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to your response.

best regards,

NANCY PELOSI                      STENY H. HOYER

Democratic Leader             Democratic Whip