Saying Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Tuesday afternoon news conference raised more questions than it answered, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi announced plans to call the former secretary of State to appear — at least twice — before his investigative panel.  

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., in a statement issued after Clinton spoke for the first time publicly about her extensive use of a private email address and server during her four years at State, said the email server should be turned over to a neutral third party. “Secretary Clinton alone created this predicament, but she alone does not get to determine its outcome. These public records at issue are broader than Libya and broader than Benghazi. The Secretary of State has enormous responsibility and jurisdiction and the public, the media and Congress have a legal right to access these public records without impediment,” he said.  

The outnumbered Democrats on the Benghazi panel — who have been increasingly vocal with complaints about what they consider to be Gowdy’s partisan handling of the probe — have already indicated they’re not likely to go along.  

Ranking member Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., in his own statement issued at about the same time, saying he is “glad Secretary Clinton addressed this issue directly, and I hope the Benghazi Select Committee will return to its purpose of investigating the attacks in Benghazi instead of attempting to impact the 2016 presidential election.”  

House Republican leaders contend that Gowdy and the Benghazi panel deserve credit for the disclosure that thousands of Clinton emails related to her State Department tenure had not been made public.  

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker John A. Boehner, said in a statement: “Secretary Clinton didn’t hand over her emails out of the goodness of her heart — she was forced to by smart, determined, and effective oversight by the House Select Committee on Benghazi.”  

Democrats counter that Clinton’s use of a personal account has been common knowledge for years, and is not a violation of federal rules.  

Related:

Gowdy: ‘Southern Politeness’ Isn’t Working in Benghazi Probe


Gowdy Indicates Monthly Benghazi Hearings Until ‘Questions Answered’


Cummings Says Issa’s ‘Going Rogue’ on Benghazi (Video)


The 114th: CQ Roll Call’s Guide to the New Congress


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