Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio refused to answer whether it is appropriate that Republicans are fundraising off of their efforts to empanel a special committee to investigate the 2012 attack on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

When asked three times at his weekly press conference Thursday about the National Republican Congressional Committee’s fundraising solicitations, Boehner demurred, each time skirting the question by giving a variation of the following:

“Our focus is on getting the answers to those families who lost their loved ones. Period,” he said.

Boehner also said he hopes Democrats will participate.

“I had a conversation with the minority leader yesterday and made clear that this is a serious investigation, that we wanted to work together to get to the truth.”