Lawmakers marked the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks by remembering another tragedy that occurred on the same day three years ago: the terror attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi.
Just one day after the House Select Committee on Benghazi was stymied by a witness who invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, Chairman Trey Gowdy recalled the four victims of the attack he has been charged with investigating.
“Ambassador Chris Stevens and Sean Smith were diplomats we asked to represent us in a foreign land. Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were former Navy Seals who continued to serve even after the uniforms were pressed and put away,” the South Carolina Republican said.
Gowdy said the select committee’s objection has always been to conduct a “straightforward” investigation that “is worthy of the memory of those who died.”
“While much outside attention has been paid to the former secretary [of state], this investigation has never been about her and never will be,” Gowdy noted, referring to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “It is about our four fellow Americans murdered three years ago, and ensuring we provide answers for their families and loved ones.”
Critics have accused the select committee of deviating from its mission in order to damage Clinton’s presidential campaign.
It was the select committee that first uncovered Clinton’s use of a private email server to shield her government communications — a revelation that has dogged the Democratic candidate since March and slowly siphoned support from her campaign.
House Speaker John Boehner expressed his continued support for the Benghazi investigation Friday in his tribute to the victims of the 2012 attack.
“The four Americans who lost their lives in Benghazi at the hands of terrorists three years ago today were serving their country in one of the most dangerous places in the world,” the Ohio Republican said. “We honor their bravery, and continue to stand with their families in demanding answers about inadequate security and what happened in the days surrounding the well-coordinated, deadly attack.”
“We will not relent until the American people have a complete record of all the facts,” Boehner added.
Boehner approved the creation of the select committee in May of last year.
Secretary of State John Kerry also acknowledged the Benghazi attack, noting the special significance of 9/11 to the staff of the State Department.
“September 11 is a date seared into the minds of all of us at the U.S. Department of State and of citizens across America. Together, we honor the memory of the men, women, and children murdered in 2001,” Kerry said. “And we will never forget those who died three years ago in Libya: Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.”
