South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy has been officially tapped by the House Republican leadership to serve as chairman of the new Benghazi select committee hearings, Speaker of the House John Boehner announced Monday.
“With four of our countrymen killed at the hands of terrorists, the American people want answers, accountability, and justice,” Boehner said Monday. “Trey Gowdy is as dogged, focused, and serious-minded as they come.”
Gowdy, a former district attorney and federal prosecutor, was elected to Congress as a Republican in 2010 and has been an active voice on the Benghazi attacks of 2012.
“His background as a federal prosecutor and his zeal for the truth make him the ideal person to lead this panel,” Boehner said of Gowdy. “I know he shares my commitment to get to the bottom of this tragedy and will not tolerate any stonewalling from the Obama administration.”
Boehner, who until last week had resisted calls from members of his party to establish a select committee, pledged to give Gowdy “the strongest authority possible to root out all the facts.”
“This is a big job, but Rep. Gowdy has the confidence of this conference, and I know his professionalism and grit will earn him the respect of the American people,” Boehner said.
The Ohio Republican called for the creation of the committee after it became clear last week that the Obama administration had withheld these documents from a Congressional subpoena. The emails indicated that the White House played a bigger role than previously admitted in crafting the now-debunked initial talking points on the attacks that left four Americans dead, including Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya.
Gowdy has played a visible role in the past hearings on the Benghazi attacks as a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, which has held numerous probes into the attacks.
“Speaker Boehner could not have chosen a member more committed to getting the full truth about the before, during, and after of the Benghazi terrorist attacks than Congressman Trey Gowdy,” Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa said Monday after the announcement.
“Trey has been an integral contributor to the Oversight Committee investigation and takes the knowledge we have gained, through subpoenas and individual testimony, to his new role leading the new Select Committee,” Issa said. “I look forward to continuing to work with him as he leads the effort, across committee jurisdictions, to find facts, accountability, and needed reforms.”
Gowdy will appear Monday night on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren, the host announced on Twitter.