Lankford Votes to Authorize Benghazi Select Committee

Press Release

Representative James Lankford (R-OK) expressed cautious optimism that Americans may finally learn the truth after today's House vote to authorize the Select Committee on the events surrounding the Benghazi Attacks.

Rep. Lankford was proud to vote in favor of H. Res. 576, which provides for the establishment of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi. Oversight Committee member Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has already been announced as Chairman of the Select Committee. Under the resolution he will be joined by six other Republican members and five Democrat members. The process of selecting those members is still ongoing.

"Establishing a Select Committee on Benghazi is not a political issue; it is proper congressional oversight in the wake of the attack and the Administration's stonewalling of our current investigation," said Lankford.

"I have diligently participated in the House Oversight Committee's investigation of the attack on our outpost in Benghazi, Libya since the very first hearing in October 2012. The House has held numerous hearings, subpoenaed countless witnesses and conducted rigorous investigations into the Administration's failure to handle the situation in Benghazi. The subsequent public relations debacle surrounding talking points, video tapes and Ambassador Rice's appearance on the Sunday shows wasted time and yielded increased skepticism for many Americans. We still have questions without answers and an unwilling partner in this Administration to get to the full truth.

"We should agree that we owe all Americans serving overseas the peace of mind that we have done everything we can to ensure the leadership and management failures within our government will never happen again. House Republicans welcome our Democrat colleagues' input in a productive investigation.

"The Select Committee will consolidate the information we have collected in the regular committee process and assess the answers still owed to the American people. We still do not have all the facts about why the facilities in Libya didn't meet the minimum standard for security set after the 1998 attacks on our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania by Osama Bin Laden. We must have as much information as possible, so we can rework our protocols in leadership, emergency military readiness and accurate information release to the American people to ensure this never happens again. I look forward to the Select Committee's work on behalf of the American people," concluded Lankford.

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