Boehner to launch Select Committee investigating Benghazi attack

This move could be significant for a few reasons, some of them related to Hillary Clinton and her possible bid for the presidency in 2016. Aside from that, there could be more shoes to drop in the investigation if this committee has greater power than the current congressional committee, which it most certainly will.

Report from NBC News:

House Republicans announced on Friday their intention to form a special select committee on Benghazi, intensifying already highly-charged GOP scrutiny of the Obama administration’s handling of the September 2012 attacks that left four Americans dead.

The committee will be led by GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.

“It’s clear that questions remain, and the administration still does not respect the authority of Congress to provide proper oversight,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement. “This dismissiveness and evasion requires us to elevate the investigation to a new level. I intend for this select committee to have robust authority, and I will expect it to work quickly to get answers for the American people and the families of the victims.”

Past select committees have included members of both parties. A spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that Democrats “have not been contacted by Speaker Boehner or the Republican leadership concerning a select committee proposal.”

The announcement comes after newly released documents reignited the controversy over how the White House and the State Department crafted their response to the attack. Republicans allege that the White House knowingly misled the public about the origin of the assault in order to bolster claims that terrorist groups had been weakened during Obama’s first term; Democrats say that the GOP has fueled the controversy for political purposes alone.

Will there be any further revelations as a result of this or have we learned all there is to know? Is this a witch hunt or a worthwhile endeavor? The answer to that question is typically based on your political views.