Democratic Members Announce “Benghazi on the Record”

WASHINGTON -- Today, the House Select Committee on Benghazi Democratic Members released Benghazi on the Record, a new resource that collects as much information as possible regarding questions that have already been asked and answered about the 2012 attacks in Benghazi.

Prepared at the request of Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings, Benghazi on the Record includes two components. The first is an interactive Asked and Answered Database with hundreds of questions and statements by Members of Congress that have been addressed in previous investigative reports, interviews, and hearings. The second is a detailed 133-page Compendium of Investigative Resources that addresses each question in greater detail based on the wide range of already public investigative resources.

For example, Benghazi on the Record includes answers to specific questions posed by House Speaker John Boehner when he explained that a Select Committee was needed because “there are so many unanswered questions” about the attacks.

Benghazi on the Record is intended to be used as a tool for Members of Congress and the American public to better understand the key findings from past investigations by seven different Congressional committees and the independent Accountability Review Board – which together have produced nine separate reports.

Ranking Member Elijah Cummings said: “My hope is that our efforts here—with Benghazi on the Record—will help the Select Committee define its scope.  We need to make full use of all the extensive investigations that have come before us.  We need to avoid duplication, conserve taxpayer dollars, and help improve the security of U.S. facilities and personnel around the world.”

Rep. Adam Smith said: “To help prevent this committee from becoming another partisan witch hunt, this database clearly lays out many of the questions that have been asked and their corresponding answers. This database isn’t just some full throttled defense of the State Department or the United States military. It is an honest and upfront attempt at pulling together the major questions, as they were asked by Republicans themselves, and their answers. I would encourage the majority to use it as tool to define the scope of the Select Committee.”

Rep. Adam Schiff said: “Many of the questions from Members of this Committee and the House have been repeatedly asked and answered, and then asked again. The work already completed by the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, among many others, has added to our understanding of the attack that tragically took the lives of four Americans – but we can’t keep relitigating the same issues over and over.  If we don't define the scope of the committee's work in advance, this effort may take on a life of its own and cost taxpayers untold millions.”

Rep. Linda Sanchez said: “With the launch of Benghazi on the Record, Americans now have a site where they can find answers to key questions raised about the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. The information collected on the website reinforces the numerous investigations and extensive resources that have already gone into examining the tragic events of September 11, 2012. Four months after its formation, the select committee still lacks a clear mission and task. It is my hope that Benghazi on the Record will help guide my Republican colleagues in defining our scope and propel them to share more information about what topics the committee will handle in the months to come.”

Rep. Tammy Duckworth said: “As a member of the Oversight and Government Reform and Armed Services Committees, I spent a great deal of time studying the attacks in Benghazi. That’s why I’m proud that this committee is releasing this database.  We should not be spending time reviewing questions that have already been answered in numerous investigations and reports. If we want to make sure that no American Diplomat, no American life, no American Service Member, is ever put in the same kind of jeopardy again, we need to be focused on what we don’t already know and finding solutions.”

Click here to view the Asked and Answered Database.

Click here to view the Compendium of Investigative Resources.