Rep. Elijah Cummings and Hillary Clinton speak at a campaign rally at City Garage April 10 in Baltimore, Maryland. | Getty House Democrats clear Clinton on Benghazi

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is not responsible for security lapses during the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, according to a new report from Democrats on the Benghazi select committee.

With a report from Republicans on the Benghazi select committee expected soon, Democrats on the panel sought to preempt any GOP findings with their own lengthy report.


For Democrats and Clinton, the political stakes over Benghazi are huge. Clinton is focusing her campaign on competence and experience, and any congressional finding that undermines her on that front is bound to impact her presidential run.

The FBI also continues to investigate Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct official State Department business, which was uncovered in response to the Benghazi probe.

In addition to clearing Clinton — the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — of any wrongdoing or lapses in judgment, Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.) and the other Democrats on the panel said there was nothing more that the Pentagon could have done to save Stevens or the other Americans that fateful night.

Basically, Democrats accuse panel Republicans of spending $7 million to find out what a number of other House committees had already determined, although panel Democrats emphasized that failures on the part of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security were primarily to blame for the 2012 incident. One of the chapter in the report is entitled "Terrorists caused the attack in Benghazi, not U.S. foreign policy."

"Our overarching conclusion is that the evidence obtained by the Select Committee confirms the core findings already issued by many previous investigations into the attacks in Benghazi," the Democrats asserted. "Although the Select Committee obtained additional details that provide context and granularity, these details do not fundamentally alter the previous conclusions."

The Democratic report also castigates Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the Benghazi select committee, for his handling of the investigation, especially his treatment of Clinton

"In one of the most serious abuses, Chairman Gowdy personally and publicly accused Secretary Clinton of compromising a highly classified intelligence source," the Democratic report states. "Although the Intelligence Community quickly debunked his claim, Chairman Gowdy has yet to apologize to Secretary Clinton for his slanderous accusation."

The Democratic report continues: "In our opinion, Chairman Gowdy has been conducting this investigation like an overzealous prosecutor desperately trying to land a front-page conviction rather than a neutral judge of facts seeking to improve the security of our diplomatic corps."

Democrats also charge that Gowdy and Republicans have waited until late in the campaign season to release their report on Benghazi, seeing it as "partisan ploy" to damage Clinton's credibility.

In a statement, Gowdy aides asserted it was Democrats, not Republicans who are focusing on Clinton and what the select committee's findings will mean for the presidential race.

"Benghazi Committee Democrats’ obsession with the former Secretary of State is on full display," said Matt Wolking, press secretary for Benghazi Republicans. "For over two years they refused to participate in the Majority’s serious, fact-centered investigation. The dishonest Democrats on this committee falsely claimed everything had been ‘asked and answered.’ They said the committee had found ‘absolutely nothing new.’ If that’s changed, they should come clean and admit it. If not, everyone can ignore their rehashed, partisan talking points defending their endorsed candidate for president."