WASHINGTON — Representative Nancy Pelosi of California on Wednesday appointed a full slate of senior House Democrats to a special committee investigating the 2012 attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, surprising some in her party by giving legitimacy to an inquiry many had dismissed as a political stunt. 
 
 Ms. Pelosi conceded that congressional Democrats were divided on the wisdom of the move, but argued that by participating, Democrats could influence the direction of the investigation and get access to documents and other evidence. 
 
 By naming members who served on committees that have already investigated the attack, Ms. Pelosi raised the pressure on Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina and the chairman of the special committee. 
 
 If he recycles previously reviewed material, Democrats from those committees will be there to dismiss it as old news. If he finds new information, Democrats can raise questions about why it was not unearthed by the Armed Services, Intelligence or Oversight Committees, all of which have already investigated the attack. “We need someone in that room to simply defend the truth,” said Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, who was appointed to the special committee. 
 
 Emissaries from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political camp also made it clear to the House Democratic leadership that they wanted Democrats in the room as the special committee deliberated, a senior Democratic leadership aide said. 
 
 The Benghazi attack left four Americans dead, including the ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens. The aftermath exploded into a partisan battle in Washington, yielding eight investigations and tens of thousands of pages of documents and emails. For months, Speaker John A. Boehner resisted pressure from conservatives in the Republican Party to name a special committee. 
 
 But after legal action unearthed a new email that the White House appeared to have concealed, he relented this month, naming Mr. Gowdy, a dogged prosecutor before his election in 2010, to lead the panel. But according to Mr. Gowdy, Mr. Boehner was clear in setting its mission: Just the facts. 
 
 “I know I have been accused of being theatrical in the past,” Mr. Gowdy said in an interview on Wednesday. “This is not going to be theatrical.” 
 
 Mr. Gowdy said he was pleased that Ms. Pelosi had chosen lawmakers with real heft. 
 
 The Democrats chosen were Mr. Cummings, who clashed repeatedly over Benghazi with the chairman of the Oversight Committee, Representative Darrell Issa of California; Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee; Adam B. Schiff of California, a member of the Intelligence Committee; Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a decorated and severely wounded combat veteran of the Iraq war; and Linda T. Sánchez of California, the ranking Democrat on the Ethics Committee. 
 
 The Republican members, by contrast, largely lack foreign policy and military credentials, although with Mr. Gowdy and Representative Susan W. Brooks of Indiana, they have prosecutorial experience. They include Representative Peter Roskam of Illinois, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas, Representative Martha Roby of Alabama and Representative Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia. Mr. Westmoreland is the deputy chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. 
 
 Mr. Gowdy said Mr. Cummings had met with him this week to seek assurances that the proceedings would go forward without spectacle. Much of the work will be done through depositions, not open committee hearings, although there will be some. 
 
 Mr. Gowdy said he would like to hire a nonpartisan woman as chief counsel, since many of the witnesses will be women. ||||| House Democratic leadership met once Wednesday morning. Pelosi picks Dems for Benghazi panel 
 
 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — after a heated debate over the issue within her caucus — officially tapped five Democrats to the special committee charged with investigating the Benghazi attacks. 
 
 Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings (Md.), Adam Smith (Wash.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), Linda Sanchez (Calif.) and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) will serve on the panel, which is headed by South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy. 
 
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 “The Republican approach does not prevent the unacceptable and repeated abuses by Chairman Issa in any meaningful way,” Pelosi said. “That is all the more reason to participate, to be there to fight for a fair hearing and process.” 
 
 ( Also on POLITICO: Dems undecided on Benghazi panel) 
 
 Cummings will serve as the select committee’s ranking member. The lead Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Cummings has often served as a sparring partner over Benghazi with Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). 
 
 “I feel that I owe it to the families of Ambassador Stevens and the other brave Americans who lost their lives to bring some minimal level of balance to this process and to check false claims whenever I can,” Cummings said. “I believe we need someone in that room to defend the truth.” 
 
 Smith, Schiff and Duckworth have responsibilities related to defense and foreign service as part of their other committee assignments. 
 
 The selection of five seasoned lawmakers signals that Democrats are preparing for a contentious process and see a need for the members to act as a check on the Republicans’ investigation. 
 
 The announcement comes after Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) met for an hour Tuesday to negotiate over the probe. 
 
 ( Also on POLITICO: House GOP gears up on Benghazi) 
 
 The committee will have its first meeting, a planning session, on Thursday. 
 
 Appointing Democrats to the panel marks a departure for Pelosi, who initially didn’t want to dignify the committee by naming any Democrats to it. Her perspective changed, however, after fellow Democrats said she should appoint at least a few Democrats to sit on it in order to counter claims by Republicans. Some Democrats also felt the party should be represented if Republicans subpoena high-level Obama administration officials, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 
 
 “I could have gone at this either way. Why give any validity to this effort?” Pelsoi said. “But I do think it is important for the American people to have a pursuit of these questions done in a fair … and balanced way.” 
 
 The committee, which the House agreed to create earlier this month in a party-line vote, created seven seats for Republicans and five for Democrats. 
 
 Democrats want greater power to consult with the committee’s chairman, Gowdy, on witness lists, testimony and subpoenas. They initially also sought to have an equal number of Democrats and Republican serve on the panel. 
 
 Pelosi said she was unable to reach an agreement with Boehner and hoped Cummings and Gowdy would be able to craft an agreement on the panel’s terms. 
 
 A House GOP leadership aide said, “We have offered assurances on committee procedures, but no substantive changes that could hurt the investigation.” 
 
 The committee was created after emails from White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes were released showing Rhodes discussing “goals” for the Sunday shows following the attacks. Republicans were furious that the records, which were obtained by Judicial Watch, were more detailed than documents provided to congressional investigators. 
 
 Republicans say the White House misled congressional investigators and want the probe to delve into the lax security at the Benghazi compound before the attacks and the Obama administration’s response. 
 
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– Democrats have chosen their Benghazi strategy: Instead of boycotting a special committee set up by Republicans to investigate the attack, they're going to play along. Nancy Pelosi today picked five Democrats to sit on the panel following what Politico calls a "heated debate" within the party on the best way to proceed. The New York Times sums up the rationale: While deciding to participate lends credibility to the panel, Democrats now have a chance "to influence the direction of the hearings and get access to documents and other evidence that could be presented." The individuals selected also are notable because four of them have served on committees that have previously investigated Benghazi and thus will be able to call out committee chair Trey Gowdy if he traffics in old news, notes the Times. The five are Elijah Cummings, Adam Smith, Adam Schiff, Linda Sanchez, and Tammy Duckworth, reports the Wall Street Journal. The committee will meet for the first time tomorrow.