House report on Benghazi delayed until 2016

WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- The anticipated report by the Republican-led House Select Committee on the deadly 2012 Benghazi attack is likely to be delayed until 2016.

The committee set out to investigate former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's response to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack at the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya that left four people dead, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

"Factors beyond the committee's control, including witness availability, compliance with documents requests, the granting of security clearances and accreditations -- all of which are controlled by the Executive branch -- could continue to impact the timing of the inquiry's conclusion," Committee Communications Director Jamal Ware told Bloomberg.

Clinton previously said her biggest regret on the job was the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

"It would certainly be the attack on our facility in Benghazi, and the loss of two State Department personnel and two CIA contractors from the terrorist attack and the terrible consequences of that," Clinton said when asked what her biggest regret was as state secretary. "It's very, very painful and it was certainly the biggest regret that I had as secretary of state."

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., criticized Republicans for not completing the report before 2016 and the upcoming election.

"With the Republicans' obsessive focus on Hillary Clinton, and their now stated intention to drag out this political charade until just months before the 2016 election, the Select Committee no longer bears any resemblance to its original purpose," Cummings said.

The committee is also reviewing Clinton's email use while she was secretary of state. Clinton routinely used her private, non-government email account during her tenure from 2009 to 2013, an apparent violation of the federal records act that mandates preservation of such documents.