Duckworth joins Roskam on Benghazi committee

Political Editor

mriopell@dailyherald.com

U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, has been named to the special committee charged with investigating the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Duckworth will join U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican, on the panel.

It wasn't clear whether Democrats would participate in the committee's work, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed members to the committee today, including Duckworth.

"I am proud to serve on this committee to continue to search for the truth about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these brave Americans," Duckworth said in a statement. "I want to make sure that no American diplomat, no American life, no American service member, is ever put in the same kind of jeopardy again."

Duckworth is one of five Democrats on the 12-member committee.

The Benghazi attack has become a conservative rallying cry, with Republicans accusing the Obama administration of intentionally misleading the public about the nature of the attack and stonewalling congressional investigators.

The special investigation means high-profile hearings in the months leading up to the elections, with Republicans likely to target current and former administration officials.

• The Associated Press contributed to this story.