Subpoena on Hold: Kerry Won't Appear at May 21 Hearing

By David Eldridge

Posted May 13, 2014 at 9:30am

A subpoena for John Kerry to testify before Congress next week on Benghazi has been put on hold while the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the State Department negotiate when — or if — the secretary of state will appear.

Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said Monday night that Kerry will be in Mexico May 21 on a previously scheduled trip, and that the department is working with the committee to “explore whether there are better means of addressing the Committee’s interests, including through a more appropriate witness.” She said there has been no deal on arrangements for an alternative date.

“We and the Committee have been in touch to determine how to resolve their subpoena, but we have not yet made arrangements for a hearing date. We look forward to addressing the matters raised in the Committee’s letter and subpoena,” she said in a statement.
House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa subpoenaed Kerry earlier this month to testify before his panel after
the release of White House emails that raised more questions about the administration’s handling of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Frederick Hill, a spokesman for the House committee, told the Associated Press Monday that “
The State Department has told the Committee that they are committed to finding an alternative date in the near future for Secretary Kerry to testify before the Oversight Committee. As such, Chairman Issa agreed to lift the subpoena obligation for May 21.”