A Republican-led committee investigating the 2012 attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's role, is signaling that its final report could slip to just months before the presidential election if the Obama administration delays producing documents and witnesses.
A spokesman for Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, chairman of the Benghazi panel, said Wednesday that Gowdy still hopes to complete the committee's work by the end of this year, but said factors "we don't control" could delay the report, including a lack of responsiveness by the administration.
Gowdy "wants this done by the end of the year," spokesman Jamal Ware said, but factors including witness availability, compliance with document requests and security clearances "could continue to impact the timing of the inquiry's conclusion."
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Wednesday the administration is not cooperating with the Benghazi panel, making it difficult for the committee to gather all the facts.
The House panel could do its job "a whole lot quicker" if the administration and Clinton would cooperate more than they have so far, Boehner told reporters.
Clinton was secretary of state at the time of the attacks and is now the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
The Republican-run House committee has been trying to get her emails related to the attacks, in which four Americans were killed.
Clinton used a private email account as secretary of state and is refusing to give the committee her computer's server.