The House Foreign Affairs Committee announced Thursday it would convene a review meeting to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena to testify about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The committee's chairman, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, has scheduled a meeting for September 19 to consider holding Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena last week to testify about the Afghanistan withdrawal. According to To the press release.
Despite Blinken testifying repeatedly in both the House and Senate, the committee is insisting on further testimony from him to help shape potential legislative reforms aimed at avoiding similar missteps in the future, the Washington Examiner reported. ReportedState Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed disappointment with the new subpoenas and noted that Secretary of State Blinken has cooperated extensively with congressional investigations into the matter.
The Chairman's Report on the Biden-Harris Administration's Failure to Disengage from Afghanistan makes clear that there was no plan for the emergency evacuation of U.S. diplomats, Americans, or Afghan allies from Afghanistan as the Taliban closed in. This Administration… pic.twitter.com/sr5HdYln2T
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) September 12, 2024
“The Secretary of Defense has testified before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times, more than any Cabinet-level official,” Miller said, according to the Washington Examiner. “It is unfortunate that instead of continuing to negotiate in good faith with the Secretary of Defense, the committee has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena.”
New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks statement Meeks denounced McCaul's request for a review conference, saying, “The Committee's vote to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt is based on false allegations of misconduct that have not been substantiated in the Committee's own investigation and is merely the latest act in a political drama that Republicans are seeking to drag out until election season.”
McCaul's decision follows a House committee investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal that culminated in a report released Sunday. The 354-page report: Report They criticized the Biden administration's response to the withdrawal, which has seen Taliban regain control and included a deadly suicide bombing at Kabul International Airport. (Related article: “Nobody is perfect”: Democratic lawmaker reveals “mistakes” in failed Afghanistan withdrawal)
According to the Washington Examiner, it's unclear when the House will vote on the contempt resolution, as Congress is currently engaged in crucial budget negotiations to avert a government shutdown through Oct. 1. After those talks, Congress is expected to recess until after the November elections.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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