Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is willing to testify before a House select committee investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, according to the ranking Democrat on the committee.
Following a day of hearings, Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings told reporters on Tuesday that he reached out to Clinton on behalf of the committee’s chairman, South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, back in September about the prospect of testifying in front of the panel.
“She immediately said she would and that she wanted to come in December, but if December did not work, she would come in January,” Cummings said, according to CNN.
“She said ‘I’ll do it,’ period. The fact is she was very clear. She did not hesitate for one second.”
Testimony in front of the select committee would prove a momentous event, especially given Clinton’s expected presidential bid.
Clinton testified in Jan. 2013 about the Sept. 11, 2012 attack at the U.S. consulate in which four Americans were killed, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Republicans have questioned whether the Obama administration ignored warnings about terrorist threats in the region. They have also cast doubt on the administration’s initial statements that the attack was a response to a video released in the U.S. which depicted Muhammad in an unflattering manner.
Gowdy told The Hill on Tuesday that he would gladly host Clinton “in January, February, March, whenever,” but that he first needs to obtain access to the thousands of pages of documents he says that State Department has so far refused to release.
“If I were to conclude this investigation having not talked to the secretary of State at the time it would be an incomplete investigation,” Gowdy told The Hill. “But I can’t talk to her until I have the documents that would make that conversation productive. I’m not interested in having a conversation where old allegations are repeated or a shouting match.”