Select Committee on Benghazi Releases Final Report, Urges Obama Administration to Declassify as Much Information as Possible

July 8, 2016
Press Release
New Material from Depositions Released in Accordance with House Rules

Washington, D.C. – Members of the Select Committee on Benghazi Majority – Chairman Trey Gowdy (SC-04), Rep. Susan Brooks (IN-05), Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04), Rep. Mike Pompeo (KS-04), Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02), Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-06), and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) – released the following statement after the committee voted 7-4 to make its proposed report final:

“It has been a great privilege and honor to follow the facts and seek the truth on behalf of the American people, but especially for the families and friends of the four brave men killed in the Benghazi terrorist attacks: Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. Their service to our country, and the selfless actions of other Americans on the ground that night who were wounded but survived, must never be forgotten. Our thorough, fact-centered investigation was conducted in a manner worthy of their memory, and the value and fairness of our investigation is now abundantly clear to everyone who chooses to read the report for themselves.

“We urge the Obama administration to clear for public release all of the supporting evidence and documents referenced in the more than 2,100 footnotes in the report, including all of the transcripts of the committee’s witness interviews and all of the video footage from the drones operating over Benghazi during the attacks. The administration should do this as fast as possible so the American people can see all of the evidence for themselves.”

Chairman Gowdy reiterated his longstanding intention for the committee to release all cleared transcripts and supporting documents as soon as possible, once the administration completes the review process. According to H. Res. 567, “The Select Committee shall cease to exist 30 days after filing the final report” in the House, during which time the committee will archive records.

The portions of the report based on the deposition of Sidney Blumenthal and the deposition of Diplomatic Security Agent #3 are now unredacted.

The final version of the report is available at Benghazi.House.gov/NewInfo. All four Committee Democrats who were present voted against releasing the report to the American people.

The widow of Benghazi hero Tyrone Woods, Dr. Dorothy Woods, recently thanked Committee Republicans for “doing their job,” and said the report has “given me closure.” She said critics of the committee have “been dismissive. The committee’s been ridiculed. The committee has been, they’ve been criticized. And for them to sincerely do the right thing, to care about Americans, that’s what’s important.”

“I am thankful for Congressman Gowdy and his committee for remembering that they are in fact servants of the people of the United States, and they took the time to answer questions that weren’t answered.”

Democrats’ so-called “report” mentioned “Woods” only six times – the same amount as “McCarthy.” It mentioned “Trump” 23 times, and “Clinton” 334 times in just 339 pages. In contrast, the Republican report mentioned “Clinton” only 193 times in over 800 pages.

FACT SHEET: The Benghazi Committee's Investigation - By the Numbers (6/28/16)