Will Pelosi, Democrats take Benghazi 'political stunt' seriously?

Will Pelosi, Dems take Benghazi 'stunt' seriously?

House Minority leader remains dismissive as role of Democrats - if any - on Benghazi select committee remains uncertain

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," May 9, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: House Democrats are divided over whether to boycott or take part in the Benghazi Select Committee. Today, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, as noted, calling the probe a stunt and slamming Chairman Trey Gowdy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: I think the chairman has already called it an investigation. I didn't think it was supposed to be an investigation. I thought it was -- or a trial. He called it a trial. He called it a trial. Does that tell you everything you need to know? What does he say here? Then the objective chairman, as the speaker says, I don't -- I don't want this to be a circus. I said, I think your chairman is saying something that are looking circus-like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Republican Representative Peter King joins us. Good evening, sir.

REP. PETER KING, R-NY: Good evening.

VAN SUSTEREN: Apparently, Leader Pelosi doesn't like the idea of Chairman Gowdy, congressman from South Carolina, being the choice. Is he a good choice?

KING: Yeah, he's an outstanding choice. He was a career prosecutor and he's tried cases, been in the arena, knows how to get evidence from witnesses. He knows how to be fair. So Trey Gowdy is an excellent choice. And I think Nancy Pelosi sounds sort of desperate. I'm trying to figure out what her objections are. There's going to be a lot of pressure on Trey Gowdy, a lot of responsibility because Republicans don't get the benefit of the doubt. Any overstatement or misstatement will be pounced on by the Democrats and by their allies in the media. But I think Trey is going to do an outstanding job. He's up to the job. He's going to go after the truth and he's going to find it.

VAN SUSTEREN: Can he win the respect of the Democrats on the committee? I mean, is that still open for him? I mean, as polarized as the city is, as divided, does he have the ability to at least -- they are not going to agree with them ultimately, but will they at least think that they are fair?

KING: I would hope so, but it depends on what they put on the committee. If they put on five partisan people in there with an agenda to block the probe, you know, to not allow the facts to come out, or just to protect Democrats, then it's going to be difficult. But if they put some open- minded people on there -- for instance, if there's a house equivalent of Joe Lieberman, for instance, people like that who are willing to put the country before politics, then, yes, it can be done. There's a good number of good Democrats. It's up to Nancy Pelosi. I think it would help her and the Democrats also to have very responsible, restrained people on the committee because I think that's the way Trey Gowdy is going to run the hearings.

VAN SUSTEREN: What do you think Leader Pelosi's strategy is?

KING: First, I don't think she understands what Benghazi was all about. She says Republicans don't understand it and the American people don't care about it. The more I listen to Nancy Pelosi, the less I think she knows about Benghazi. I think her objection is that it's going to hurt the Democrats and it may hurt Secretary Clinton. And she's acting in the partisan way that she's accusing John Boehner of acting.

I can tell you, John Boehner has handled this incredibly -- with incredible restraint because, for months and months, other Republicans have been pushing John to set up a Select Committee. He didn't want to do it. He did not want to take that route unless he had to. Once he saw that this did go into the White House, once he saw that you had to have the subpoena power and assemble all of the information that four other committees had to assemble and use that to go forward, he felt the only way that can be done effectively was through a Select Committee, and appointing all of the members on the committee. Susan Brooks, she was a United States attorney. Mike Pompeo, West Point graduate, Harvard Law School. We can go through the whole list. Peter Roskam actually searched in the Illinois state legislature with President Obama.

So these are very, very respectful people on our side. Not all of them may be household names but, within the Republican circles, really looked upon as being really solid, solid players.

VAN SUSTEREN: Congressman, thank you, sir.

KING: Thank you, Greta.