The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the establishment of a 12-member select committee to conduct a full investigation of the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

"For far too long, many of us have tried to get the real story about what happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. And sadly for everyone – the families who lost loved ones, State Department employees around the globe, and those of us charged with the responsibility of finding the truth – the serious questions have not been answered,” said Representative Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph.

“Because of the lack of cooperation, the Congress debated and passed a resolution calling for the formation of this select committee. Only with answers can we put this issue behind us and ensure such a tragedy never happens again."

H.Res. 567, Providing for the Establishment of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, directs the select committee to conduct a full investigation focused on nine areas (outlined below) and issue a final report to Congress. Congressman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., will chair the committee and will have subpoena and deposition authority. Committee members will be appointed following passage of the bill.

For more than a year, five House committees – Armed Services; Foreign Affairs; Judiciary; Oversight and Government Reform; and Intelligence – have conducted extensive investigations into the events that led up to the attack and the Obama administration’s response. An interim progress report prepared by the committees made several key findings: 1) repeated requests for additional security by our Embassy in Libya were denied in Washington and instead, our security assets were actually reduced prior to the attacks; and 2) following the attacks, the administration altered accurate talking points prepared by the intelligence community to protect the State Department.

The decision to form the select committee follows recent revelations the administration withheld documents from Congress that show how White House officials sought to craft a political message following the attacks.

The scope of the select committee’s investigation will include: 1) all policies, decisions, and activities that contributed to the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, as well as those that affected the ability of the U.S. to prepare for the attacks; 2) all policies, decisions, and activities to respond to and repel the attacks; 3) internal and public executive branch communications about the attacks; 4) accountability for policies and decisions related to the security of facilities in Benghazi and the response to the attacks, including individuals responsible for the policies and decisions; 5) efforts by the executive branch to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of the attacks; 6) efforts by the executive branch to comply with congressional inquiries into the attacks; 7) recommendations for improving executive branch cooperation and compliance with congressional oversight and investigations; 8) lessons learned from the attacks and efforts by the executive branch to protect U.S. facilities and personnel abroad; 9) any other relevant issues.