WASHINGTON — House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, on Tuesday called Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for further testimony on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and threatened him with contempt. Congress if not
In his letter to Blinken, McCaul noted that in May he asked the secretary to attend the September hearing. At the time, McCaul announced that the GOP-led committee would investigate “the deadly withdrawal of the Biden-Harris administration from Afghanistan.”
“The committee has provided extraordinary accommodation in its numerous requests and communications seeking to finalize a date that fits your schedule,” McCaul wrote to Blinken. “To date, the Department has not provided any potential dates for your appearance.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Tuesday that Blinken has testified before Congress on Afghanistan more than any other Cabinet member and provided tens of thousands of pages of documents to the Foreign Relations Committee.
“The secretary has testified before Congress more than 14 times on Afghanistan — more than any other Cabinet-level official,” Miller said. “This includes four previous hearings directly before Chairman McCaul’s Committee, including one on Afghanistan alone, during which the Department provided the Committee with nearly 20,000 pages of Departmental records, numerous high-level briefings, and engaged in their transcribed interviews. About 15 current and former State Department officials joined the committee.
In his statement, Miller added that Blinken was not available on any of the dates proposed by McCaul, but offered “reasonable” alternatives to fulfill the committee’s public hearing request.
“Instead of continuing to engage in good faith with the Department, it is disappointing that the Committee has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena,” Miller said.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, renewed their attacks on the Biden administration on the anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal last month and the August 2021 anniversary of the Abbey Gate terrorist attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and nearly 170 Afghan civilians.
Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the chaotic withdrawal of US troops, and Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, recently said Harris could have done it. “go to hell” on retreat.
2023 Biden administration review the decision to withdraw concluded that the efforts of both the Trump and Biden administrations were inadequate. The retired US commander who oversaw the withdrawal this year said so he alone carries it It is responsible for the attack on Kabul airport.
Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery with relatives of those killed in the Abbey Gate attack last week. The trip included an “incident” around Section 60, where servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.
A member of Trump’s staff, according to the military “suddenly pushed aside” cemetery worker so that Trump and his campaign could take photos and videos that are normally prohibited in that section. Trump’s team disputed the Army’s account.