Hoyer: Deeply Disappointed House Republicans Continue to Politicize Benghazi Tragedy

Statement

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on House Republicans' partisan resolution to establish a Select Committee on Benghazi:

"I am deeply disappointed that House Republicans continue to politicize a national tragedy. Four Americans, including our well-respected Ambassador, Chris Stevens, lost their lives in the attack in Benghazi. It was appropriate to investigate that tragedy, which has already occurred through seven official reviews: one by a State Department accountability board, two bipartisan Senate reports, and four partisan ones conducted by the Republican-controlled House. Those investigations found no evidence of a conspiracy or of any wrongdoing on the part of the White House. Now it is time to recognize that what happened in Benghazi was a terrible tragedy and work together to make sure it does not happen again.

"The resolution before the House today and the Select Committee it establishes are nothing more than a reflection of House Republicans' conspiracy theories. House Republicans are turning something that should have brought Americans together into a partisan, political issue to divide us.

"Just one month ago, on April 8, Speaker Boehner said: "There are four committees that are investigating Benghazi. I see no reason to break up all the work that's been done and to take months and months and months to create some select committee.' House Armed Services Committee Chairman McKeon said: "At some point, when we run out of people to talk to, or run out of people to talk to two or three times, at some point, we think we'll have as much of this story as we're going to get and move on.'

"I hope House Republicans take their own leaders' advice and put their conspiracy theories to rest by defeating this resolution instead of continuing to waste Congress's time on a partisan messaging agenda that does nothing to create jobs, restore unemployment insurance, fix our broken immigration system, or raise the minimum wage for America's workers. Those are the issues we ought to be focusing on in the People's House."

Source