On Tuesday, one-time leader of the Republicans' anti-Obama administration Benghazi crusade, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), was escorted from a Capitol Hill briefing regarding the Sep. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate.
According to The Hill, former aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sidney Blumenthal was giving his deposition before the House Select Committee when Issa attempted to barge into the closed-door session.
Witnesses said that Issa was only allowed to remain in the room for a minute or so before current chairman of the Republicans' Benghazi investigation, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) led the California congressman from the room.
The two reportedly exchanged heated words before Issa angrily slammed a soda can into a nearby wastebasket and stormed off.
"Sorry about that," said Gowdy to the committee as he returned to the hearing.
As one-time chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Issa led a months-long inquisition into the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya which left multiple U.S. personnel dead, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.
However, after Issa subpoenaed Sec. Clinton herself and multiple other administration officials and failed consistently to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing, Issa's critics began to accuse him of grandstanding and damaging the GOP's credibility on the matter.
In the summer of 2014, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) removed Issa as the head of the Benghazi investigation, reassigning it to another committee.
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