By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Monday, October 19, US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) defended the Select Committee on Benghazi, of which she is a member in an email to constituents.
Congresswoman Roby wrote in the email, “This coming Thursday, October 22, my colleagues and I will be questioning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she appears before the Select Committee on Benghazi. Her testimony is needed to fill in critical holes in the story about the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on a diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya that left four Americans dead, including our US Ambassador.”
Rep. Roby continued, “My colleagues and I on the Select Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), have worked diligently to conduct a straightforward investigation in pursuit of facts. To date, 46 new witnesses have been interviewed, including seven eyewitnesses that had never before been interviewed by any Congressional committee. Despite significant efforts to delay and block our efforts, the Select Committee has produced more than 57,000 new documents related to the attack from senior White House officials, the State Department, Secretary Clinton, and various others.”
The conservative congre
sswoman defended the committee: “Some have maligned the Select Committee’s motives, particularly as it pertains to the questioning of Mrs. Clinton. Congressional Democrats even attempted to dissolve the committee in a recent House floor vote, citing our efforts to question Clinton. Such attempts only serve to keep the truth from coming out, which would seem unnecessary if there is truly nothing to hide.”
Rep. Roby said, “The fact is Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State at the time of the attack, so, yes, she will need to come before the Select Committee and answer questions. However, this investigation has never been just about her, but rather about the entire chain of events and all key decisions makers involved. And, frankly, this would have all been over for her by now had she and the State Department cooperated with investigators from the beginning.”
Rep. Roby concluded, “The proceedings Thursday will be televised, and I encourage you to tune in. You can stay up to date on the latest on my Facebook page and Twitter account. The Select Committee is going to follow the facts wherever they lead, and we are going to do it in a straightforward way. I believe the American people will see that when Secretary Clinton testifies on the 22nd.”
Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) agrees and recently wrote: “The American people will judge the Select Committee on Benghazi on our actions, not the words of others unfamiliar with our work. Similarly, those calling for an end to the committee are either satisfied with an incomplete inquiry into the deaths of four Americans in Libya or unconcerned with accountability as it relates to the public record.”
Most Democrats disagree.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland), the ranking Democrat on the committee said, “This report shows that no witnesses we interviewed substantiated these wild Republican conspiracy theories about Secretary Clinton and Benghazi. It’s time to bring this taxpayer-funded fishing expedition to an end.”
The former Secretary of State’s closest Democratic rival, US Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders said during the Democratic debate that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about Hillary Clinton’s emails. Sen. Sanders now leads Sec. Clinton in New Hampshire by ten percentage points in recent polling.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) said on Television, “Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable. Right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee, what are her Numbers today? Her Numbers are dropping, why, because she’s un-trustable.” The political firestorm from the comments and allegations that he and Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-North Carolina) had an extramarital affair (both deny the accusation) effectively ended his campaign for Speaker of the House just 84 hours later and plunged the Republican Caucus into chaos.
Congresswoman Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
