President Barack Obama's foes in Congress have long accused the White House of misleading the public about what happened in Benghazi and in the aftermath of the assault that killed ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
But the criticism snowballed this week when a conservative group published a White House email which critics said administration officials withheld from congressional investigators and which raises fresh questions about the White House response.
"These revelations compel the House to take every possible action to ensure the American people have the truth about the terrorist attack on our consulate," top Republican Boehner said in a statement.
The move suggests Boehner finally relented to his party's right flank, which has long pressed for stronger action to probe the attack.
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Seeking to elevate the investigation to a new level, the chief government watchdog in Congress slapped Secretary of State John Kerry with a subpoena compelling him to testify about Benghazi on May 21.
House Government Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa announced the subpoena in a tweet, saying "the State Department has failed to meet its legal obligations" to turn over all Benghazi-related documents.