Members of the House Select Committee on Benghazi announced Thursday they had completed three transcribed interviews this week, including one with an eyewitness to the attack and two with drone pilots who were operating in the region.
Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said his committee had been waiting three months to question the drone pilots.
“Political appointees may think it is ‘unnecessary,’ but talking to the service members with firsthand knowledge is just as important as talking to the generals and admirals who command them,” Gowdy said in a statement.
He was referring to an April 28 letter from Stephen Hedger, a Pentagon political appointee, that criticized the committee’s deluge of requests for documents and interviews as the congressional probe enters its final weeks.
Benghazi Democrats have argued any questions that would be asked of low-ranking military personnel have already been answered by high-ranking officers, eliminating the need for Defense Department officials to track down additional witnesses at Republicans’ request.
But Gowdy said Thursday his committee “must pursue every lead possible as part of its obligation to determine what can and cannot be substantiated.”
At issue are claims that the military had assets that could have reached Benghazi in time to stop some of the bloodshed had they been deployed.
To date, the Benghazi panel has interviewed 102 witnesses.
