US

House Committee Moves To Hold Blinken In Contempt For Failing To Comply On Afghanistan Withdrawal Subpoena

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Screen Capture/CSPAN)

The House Foreign Affairs Committee announced Thursday that it will convene a review session 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.

Republican Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, committee chair, scheduled a review session for Sept. 19 to consider holding Blinken in contempt of Congress, claiming he failed to respond to a subpoena issued the previous week, which demanded his testimony on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a press release.

Despite Blinken’s repeated testimonies before both the House and Senate, the committee insists on further testimony from him to shape potential legislative reforms aimed at avoiding similar future debacles, the Washington Examiner reported. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed disappointment over the new subpoena and pointed to Blinken’s extensive prior cooperation with congressional inquiries into the matter.

The chairman’s report on the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan makes it clear: there was no emergency evacuation plan to get U.S. diplomats, Americans, and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan when the Taliban closed in. This administration chose to… pic.twitter.com/sr5HdYln2T

— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) September 12, 2024

“The Secretary has testified before the Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times — more than any other Cabinet-level official,” Miller said, the Washington Examiner reported. “It is disappointing that instead of continuing to engage with the Department in good faith, the Committee instead has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena.”

Democratic New York Rep. Gregory Meeks also released a statement condemning McCaul’s call for a review session. “The scheduled Committee vote to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt, based on bogus allegations of wrongdoing that their own investigation has not proven, is just the latest act in the political theater that Republicans now wish to extend further into the election season,” Meeks said.

McCaul’s decision follows the House committee‘s investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal, which culminated in a report issued Sunday. The 354-page report criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal, which saw a resurgence of Taliban control and was marked by a deadly suicide attack at Kabul International Airport.

The timing for a potential House vote on the contempt resolution remains uncertain, as Congress is currently engaged with critical budget negotiations to avert a government shutdown by Oct. 1, according to the Washington Examiner. Following these discussions, Congress is expected to enter recess until after the November elections.

The Department of State did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.