Issa subpoenas documents for 10 current and former top State Department officials

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) has subpoenaed documents from a range of current and former State Department officials, including senior members of the U.S. Foreign Service and top aides to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pertaining to the Obama administration’s Benghazi talking points.

In a letter addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry, Issa claims that the administration’s release of around 100 pages of emails documenting the editing of the talking points was "incomplete" and that its refusal to cooperate with his committee left him "with no alternative but to compel the State Department to produce relevant documents through subpoena."

The subpoena "covers documents and the communications related to talking points" prepared for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and delivered on Sept. 16, 2012, in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

The subpoena ensnares records from a range of top Clinton aides, many of whom either left the State Department with Clinton, such as her longtime spokesman Philippe Reines, or have been promoted to more senior positions within the Obama administration, such as Jake Sullivan to national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden and Victoria Nuland to assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. The 10 names are all listed below:

1.         William Burns, Deputy Secretary of State;

2.         Elizabeth Dibble, Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs;

3.         Beth Jones, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs;

4.         Patrick Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management;

5.         Cheryl Mills, Counselor and Chief of Staff to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton;

6.         Thomas Nides, Deputy Secretary for Management;

7.         Victoria Nuland, Spokesperson;

8.         Philippe Reines, Deputy Assistant Secretary;

9.         Jake Sullivan, Director of Policy Planning; and,

10.  David Adams, Assistant Secretary for State for Legislative Affairs.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MA), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, pushed back against Issa’s subpoena.

"House Republicans appear to be obsessed with Hillary Clinton and are distracting Congress from conducting responsible oversight to protect our diplomatic personnel serving overseas," Cummings told The Cable. "This investigation has been politicized from the beginning as House Republicans accuse first and then scramble to find evidence to back up their unsubstantiated claims."

You can read Issa’s entire letter below:

DEI-to-Kerry-5.28.13