Kerry Agrees to Testify on Benghazi, as G.O.P. Squabbles Over Rival Inquiries

By JONATHAN WEISMAN, NYT, MAY 23, 2014

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry agreed on Friday to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform over the 2012 attacks on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, possibly exacerbating tensions between Republicans over competing inquiries.

In a letter to Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California, the committee’s combative chairman, the State Department’s assistant secretary for legislative affairs, Julia Frifield, appeared to go out of her way to pit Mr. Issa’s investigation into the attacks against a new one being conducted by a select committee appointed by Speaker John A. Boehner.

Ms. Frifield said that Mr. Kerry would testify in June, but that in complying with Mr. Issa’s demands, “we believe this would remove any need for the secretary to appear before the select committee” on the Benghazi attacks, which killed four Americans, including J. Christopher Stevens, the ambassador to Libya.

(More here.)