Benghazi committee avoids partisan sniping in first hearing

The House Select Committee on Benghazi made its public debut in a surprisingly subdued and bipartisan atmosphere Wednesday after two years of pitched political battles between Republicans and Democrats over the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in eastern Libya.

Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, the Republican chairman, vowed to pursue the facts wherever they lead him. Opening the panel's first public hearing since its establishment four months ago, he said the U.S. must learn from past violence on U.S. facilities from Beirut to East Africa to Benghazi to prevent repeat attacks.

"To those who believe there is nothing left to discovered... we have heard all of that before, and it was wrong then," Gowdy said.

Wednesday's hearing focused primarily on the recommendations for improved diplomatic security that were offered up by the Accountability Review Board (ARB), the independent body that investigated the 2012 attack.

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"It is stunning to see the similarities between recommendations made decades ago and the recommendations made by the Benghazi ARB," Gowdy said.

Gowdy credited a Democrat on the 12-member panel, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, with recommending the subject of embassy security for the gathering. The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, echoed the importance of improving the protection of American facilities.

"Today we have an opportunity to focus on reform," he said. "How can we learn from the past to make things better in the future?"

Cummings warned against veering into politically-charged territory. "I sincerely hope the select committee will stay on the course of constructive reform and keep this goal as our North Star," he said.

Republicans have seized on the Benghazi attack, in which four Americans were killed, to criticize the record of former secretary of state -- and potential presidential candidate -- Hillary Clinton.

Gregory Starr, the State Department's diplomatic security chief, told Congress officials were looking for ways to reduce risks. He said dangers in diplomacy couldn't be eliminated fully, but that it shouldn't deter State Department officials.

"We can't lock people in embassies," he said. "The whole point of diplomacy is we need to get out."

The department also released a summary of its efforts to implement the recommendations of an independent review board formed shortly after the attack, saying nearly all of the department's work was complete. These include better identification of high-risk posts and greater coordination on decisions concerning security levels.

However, another witness, Todd Keil, a member of an expert panel on best security practices, lambasted the department for failing to change its practices.

The special investigation's initial budget is $3.3 million. No limits have been placed on what it can examine or when it should finish.