At one year, three months, 12 days and counting, Trey Gowdy’s Select Committee on Benghazi has gone on longer than investigations into President Kennedy’s assassination, Pearl Harbor, Hurricane Katrina, and Iran-Contra. As of today, it has officially surpassed the Church Committee, which overhauled federal oversight for American spy agencies.
There’s no end in sight for the Benghazi Committee, which has already cost $4.1 million in taxpayer funds and is expected to exceed $6 million by next year. Despite its lengthy investigation, the committee has failed to prove wrongdoing by Secretary Clinton.
Without any limits on budget, duration, or—apparently—the scope of Trey Gowdy’s investigation, who’s to say this list won’t keep growing in the weeks, months and years to come?
TREY GOWDY’S BENGHAZI COMMITTEE HAS LASTED LONGER AND BECOME MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE FOLLOWING INVESTIGATIONS:
HURRICANE KATRINA
5 months and 1 day (2005-2006)
Expended $86,607
PEARL HARBOR
9 months and 15 days (1945-1946)
Not to exceed $25,000
WARREN COMMISSION
9 months and 27 days (1963-1964)
Budget not listed
IRAN-CONTRA
10 months and 13 days (1987)
Expended $4 million according to press reports
CHURCH COMMITTEE
1 year, 3 months, and 3 days (1975-1976)
Not to exceed $750,000
GOWDY’S SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI
1 year, 3 months, and 12 days and counting (established May 8, 2014)
Unlimited budget—expended more than $4.1 million to date