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Boehner defends Benghazi panel after Dems seize on McCarthy gaffe
House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday staunchly defended his chamber's Benghazi investigation committee after senior Democrats called for it to be disbanded, claiming Boehner's top deputy -- and the favorite to step into the speaker's shoes -- implied in an interview the panel was created to politically damage Hillary Clinton.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stirred the Democratic backlash after he seemed to link Clinton's dropping poll numbers to the committee's work.
The comments gave Democrats an opening to reprise allegations the committee is merely a political tool. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the chamber's top Democrat, said Thursday that the investigation is "unethical" and the panel should be shut down. Pelosi also questioned whether the panel violates House rules forbidding spending taxpayer dollars for political purposes.
House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday staunchly defended his chamber's Benghazi investigation committee after senior Democrats called for it to be disbanded, claiming Boehner's top deputy -- and the favorite to step into the speaker's shoes -- implied in an interview the panel was created to politically damage Hillary Clinton.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stirred the Democratic backlash after he seemed to link Clinton's dropping poll numbers to the committee's work.
The comments gave Democrats an opening to reprise allegations the committee is merely a political tool. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the chamber's top Democrat, said Thursday that the investigation is "unethical" and the panel should be shut down. Pelosi also questioned whether the panel violates House rules forbidding spending taxpayer dollars for political purposes.