Benghazi is back in the news. The renewed attention is long overdue. When pressed by a reporter last week about the events of September 11, 2012, a former National Security Council spokesman said, "Dude, that was like two years ago." This juvenile and unprofessional response only adds to the concern that we still do not fully understand what happened that night, much less the confused and angry days that followed.

What we do know is that Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans are dead. They were killed in an organized terrorist attack on our consulate and a CIA operating base. Although a diplomatic post had fallen under coordinated siege in a breach of sovereign American territory, the White House was initially content to blame demonstrations sparked by a crude video mocking Islam. That story was later clarified, but it suggested that at the top levels of government the gravity of the terrorist attack had been misunderstood or mismanaged. Recent emails obtained by an outside group further the concern that information has been deliberately withheld from Congress.

In response, the House has formed a select committee to investigate the attack. The committee should not turn into a mechanism for political point scoring. It has a singular task: getting the clear answers Americans deserve. This week I spoke before the House of Representatives to discuss the select committee and recent developments. I invite you to watch my speech below.

All of this activity should be regarded very soberly. The memory of the fallen has not passed from the minds of their families, and it has not faded from the conscience of our country. To seek clarity about the killings and the crisis that followed is to honor their heroic legacy and will help our government prevent future mistakes.

America has long been a world leader through an exceptional tradition of self-government. We don't get everything right, but we expect to learn when we get things wrong. We got things wrong in Benghazi—so wrong that four Americans are dead. Dismissals and misinformation about Benghazi threaten to shake an essential foundation of our national integrity. In spite of the cynicism directed toward the institution, Congress must act now to restore faith in that civic virtue which binds all others: trust.