Republican-led Home committee subpoenas Antony Blinken over Afghanistan withdrawal

WASHINGTON — Home International Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, R-Texas, subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday to supply additional testimony on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and threatened to carry him in contempt of Congress if he would not.

In a letter addressed to Blinken, McCaul famous that in Could he had requested that the secretary seem at a September listening to. McCaul on the time had simply introduced the GOP-led committee would examine “the Biden-Harris administration’s lethal withdrawal from Afghanistan.”

“The Committee has supplied extraordinary lodging in its a number of requests and communications in search of to finalize a date according to your schedule,” McCaul wrote to Blinken. “Up to now, the Division has but to supply any potential dates in your look.”

State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller stated in an announcement Tuesday that Blinken has testified earlier than Congress on Afghanistan greater than some other Cupboard member and has supplied the International Affairs Committee with tens of hundreds of pages’ price of information.

“The Secretary has testified earlier than the Congress on Afghanistan greater than 14 instances — greater than some other Cupboard-level official,” Miller stated. “This consists of 4 instances instantly earlier than Chairman McCaul’s Committee, together with at a earlier listening to that targeted solely on Afghanistan, all whereas the Division has supplied the Committee with practically 20,000 pages of Division information, a number of high-level briefings, and engaged on transcribed interviews of practically 15 present and former State Division officers with the Committee.”

In his assertion, Miller added that Blinken isn’t obtainable throughout any of the dates proposed by McCaul however has supplied “cheap” options to adjust to the committee’s request for a public listening to.

“It’s disappointing that as an alternative of constant to have interaction with the Division in good religion, the Committee as an alternative has issued yet one more pointless subpoena,” Miller stated.

Republicans, together with former President Donald Trump, renewed their assaults on the Biden administration final month through the anniversary of U.S. withdrawal and the terrorist assault on Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghan civilians on the Kabul airport in August 2021.

Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops, and Trump’s working mate, Sen. JD Vance, just lately stated Harris can “go to hell” over the withdrawal.

A 2023 Biden administration review of the withdrawal concluded that each the Trump and Biden administrations’ efforts had been insufficient. The now-retired U.S. commander who oversaw the withdrawal stated this yr that he alone bears the accountability for the Kabul airport assault.

Trump final week went to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery with relations of victims who died within the Abbey Gate assault. The go to included an “incident” round Part 60, the place service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

Based on the Military, a member of Trump’s employees “abruptly pushed aside” a cemetery worker in order that Trump and his marketing campaign may take photographs and movies, that are often prohibited in that part. Trump’s crew has disputed the Military’s account.