Getty Gowdy slams fellow Republican over Benghazi remark

GOP Benghazi Committee chairman Trey Gowdy blasted fellow Republican Rep. Richard Hanna on Thursday for claiming his investigation was aimed at hurting 2016 Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

“Running investigations in a private, fact-centric way is unquestionably the right way to conduct a serious investigation,” Gowdy said in the statement, arguing that Hanna knew nothing of what his panel was working on. “The pitfall, of course, is that commentators, and sometimes even members of your own Conference, offer thoughts on matters on which they are not familiar.”


Gowdy has been keeping a relatively low profile amid a barrage of criticism lately from the Clinton campaign and a fired committee investigator, among others. The charges of partisanship come just a week before the former secretary of State’s much-anticipated appearance before the committee.

On Wednesday night, Hanna, a New York Republican, said during a radio interview that he agreed with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's controversial remarks suggesting the panel was created to hurt Clinton politically. McCarthy later retracted his comments and apologized, but Hanna said McCarthy was probably telling the truth.

"This may not be politically correct, but I think that there was a big part of this investigation that was designed to go after ... an individual: Hillary Clinton," he said.

Democrats seized on the comments.

"House Republicans aren't even shy anymore about admitting that the Benghazi Committee is a partisan farce,” said Brian Fallon in a statement, blasting out Hanna’s comments. “Hillary Clinton will still attend next week's hearing, but at this point, Trey Gowdy's inquiry has zero credibility left."

The panel, which rarely puts out press releases, blasted out Gowdy's response to Hanna.

“There are seven members of the Benghazi Committee who are intimately familiar with the work of the committee, the motives behind the work, and the results of that work. Congressman Hanna is not one of them,” Gowdy's statement reads.

Gowdy said he personally called Hanna this morning to discuss the matter.

“My team of investigators, drawn from the military, federal agencies and the congressional oversight and ethics committees, has worked hard, and in an above-board manner,” the statement said. “It is unfortunate when claims are made by those who do not know what the committee has done, why it has done it, or the results of its work.”

