Secretary of State John Kerry has agreed to testify on June 12 before a House committee investigating the 2012 attack on the United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, resolving a contentious dispute with Republicans in Congress, according to The Associated Press.
Kerry had been subpoenaed to testify on May 29, but the State Department said prior commitments would prevent his appearance, the AP reported.
Kerry offered two other dates and the House of Representatives Oversight Committee accepted his offer to appear on June 12, according to the AP.
In a letter to the committee, the State Department said if Kerry testifies before the Oversight panel, it should remove any need for him to appear before a House Select Committee that was formed recently to look into the Benghazi incident, the AP reported.
In a letter to the House Oversight chairman, the department said Friday that Kerry could appear on June 12 or June 20 to discuss the Obama administration's cooperation with the panel in providing emails and other documents related to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, according to the AP.
The department said that appearance "would remove any need for the secretary to appear before the select committee to answer additional questions," the AP reported.
Republicans have accused the Obama administration of playing down the role of al Qaeda-linked militants in the assault, according to the AP.
House Republicans have launched multiple investigations into the Obama administration's handling of diplomatic security in the run-up to the September 11, 2012, attack and the steps it took in the aftermath, the AP reported.
They said admitting the militant group's role would have undermined the Obama administration's contention ahead of the November 2012 presidential election that it had the Islamist group on its heels, the AP reported.
Democrats say Republicans are pursuing the issue for political purposes, including keeping the spotlight on Hillary Clinton, Obama's secretary of state at the time of the Benghazi attack. Clinton, a Democrat, is weighing a 2016 run for president, according to the AP.
