On August 1, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) subpoenaed the State Department for documents detailing the activities and findings of the Accountability Review Board (ARB) that investigated the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
According to The Hill, Issa explained that the move was necessary because the State Department has been “ignoring requests for months” for information. He added: “State department tactics to delay and impede accountability have exhausted the Committee’s patience.”
The subpoena demands access to:
All documents provided by the State Dept to the ARB
All documents and communications referring or relating to ARB interviews or meetings, including, but not limited to, notes or summaries prepared during and after any ARB meeting; and
All documents that have been made available to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for closed-door review.
Secretary of State spokesman Alec Gerlach responded by saying the State Dept has worked to meet Issa’s demands prior to this latest request. He said he is “scratching [his] head to ascertain what practical value yet another Issa subpoena has in protecting our diplomats.”
In addition to the subpoena, other Republicans on the Oversight Committee have “accused” the ARB of fashioning its report in such a way as to protect Hillary Clinton for a possible 2016 presidential run.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.