Why did the US State Department withhold the Ben Rhodes “goals” email until a judge forced them to release it to Judicial Watch? That’s what the House Oversight Committee would like to know.
The committee has sought all relevant Benghazi documents for more than a year. That particular email and others disclosed with it were not divulged in previous requests, or if they were, they were heavily redacted.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Friday that it has issued the subpoena for Kerry to testify at a May 21 hearing.
“The State Department’s response to the congressional investigation of the Benghazi attack has shown a disturbing disregard for the Department’s legal obligations to Congress,” Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wrote in a letter to Kerry.
He added: “Compliance with a subpoena for documents is not a game. Because your Department is failing to meet its legal obligations, I am issuing a new subpoena to compel you to appear before the Committee to answer questions about your agency’s response to the congressional investigation of the Benghazi attack.”
Kerry was not in charge of the State Department at the time of the attack, but he has been in charge of it during much of the unfolding Benghazi scandal. The State Department has withheld documents during his tenure, right up to last week, despite Barack Obama’s promise to deliver the most transparent administration in American history.
More: Withholding documents that have been subpoenaed by Congress is a criminal offense.
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