With Hillary Clinton set to face Rep. Trey Gowdy and the Benghazi committee this Thursday, tensions are high as Clinton hopes to “fight back and win the day” while other Republicans on the panel have dreams of being Speaker as they investigate the terror attack that left four Americans dead.
According to The Hill:
“Clinton’s Democratic allies on the panel include one declared Senate candidate, Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and another potential one, veteran Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.
The Benghazi panel is small but counts at least four potential Speaker candidates among its ranks: Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), former Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), and Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.).
Thursday’s long-anticipated Benghazi hearing could offer a national platform for the quartet of Speaker wannabes.
Both Pompeo and Westmoreland, who questioned top Clinton aide Huma Abedin on Friday, have been reaching out to GOP colleagues to gauge support for a potential Speaker bid. Roskam, who’s been pressing leadership to improve internal rules, isn’t running for Speaker but would return to the leadership table if there were an opening.
And while Jordan has repeatedly insisted he doesn’t want the Speaker’s gavel, members of his conservative Freedom Caucus are pushing his name anyway.
For all four of the Republicans, the hearing also carries enormous risks.
Clinton, who is coming off a strong presidential debate performance, was a formidable foe the last time she testified on Benghazi in 2013. She is nearly certain to go on the attack when testifying Thursday, partly by using the words of Republicans against them.”
And of course, the article notes one can’t forget Trey Gowdy:
“Rep. Gowdy recently told GOP colleagues he’ll return home to South Carolina after his investigation is done, and there’s speculation that the three-term congressman will launch a 2018 bid for the governor’s office or attorney general, or seek an appointment to the federal bench.
Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor appointed by then-President Bill Clinton, has made no secret about his disdain for D.C. When Utah Republican Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Mia Love pushed Gowdy to run for leadership, he recoiled at the prospect, telling colleagues he was solely focused on the Benghazi probe and hoped to return home to “where my heart is.”
Stay tuned to ConservativeIntel.com for full Benghazi hearing coverage Thursday!
