Washington — The Republican-led Home International Affairs Committee is anticipated to suggest that Secretary of State Antony Blinken be held in contempt of Congress amid a standoff excessive diplomat’s testimony in regards to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, subpoenaed Blinken earlier this month for his testimony, threatening to carry him in contempt if he didn’t seem earlier than the panel on Sept. 19. Within the letter subpoenaing Blinken, McCaul mentioned Blinken’s look was vital because the committee considers “potential laws geared toward serving to stop the catastrophic errors of the withdrawal.”
On Tuesday, McCaul gaveled a listening to in, stating that its goal was to “hear immediately from Secretary Blinken” and get his evaluation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. After a protracted pause, McCaul mentioned, “sadly our witness, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken just isn’t current at this time,” earlier than adjourning the listening to and noting his intention to proceed with a markup to “start the formal technique of holding the secretary in contempt of Congress.”
Blinken’s testimony
The State Division mentioned it had proposed different dates for Blinken’s testimony, citing his journey abroad because the U.S. tries to safe a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. It additionally provided to have Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell seem earlier than the committee if the panel was set on final week’s date.
“We proceed to not perceive why the committee has chosen to take this step,” State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned on Sept. 17, calling the markup an “terribly pointless and unproductive step.”
Miller famous that Blinken had answered questions on Afghanistan in his 14 appearances earlier than Congress, together with the 4 instances he has testified to McCaul’s committee.
Committee spokesperson Emily Cassil fired again in an announcement that accused the State Division of persistently participating “in obfuscation and outright avoidance.”
McCaul delayed the panel’s assembly by 5 days and issued one other subpoena for Blinken to look then.
“If Secretary Blinken fails to look, the chairman will proceed as a substitute with a full committee markup of a report recommending the U.S. Home of Representatives discover Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress for violating a duly issued subpoena,” a discover mentioned.
Although Blinken is within the U.S., he’s attending the United Nations Normal Meeting in New York Metropolis and assembly with world leaders, Miller mentioned final week.
“As soon as once more, they’ve unilaterally chosen a date,” Miller mentioned, including that the committee was informed prematurely of Blinken’s schedule. “It very a lot doesn’t seem that they are performing in good religion.”
Starting subsequent week, Congress is scheduled to be in recess by means of October, offering restricted days for Blinken to testify until committee members return to Washington throughout the break.
Even when the measure advances out of the committee, the complete Home would nonetheless have to vote to refer it to the Justice Division for prosecution, and it is extremely unlikely that Blinken could be prosecuted by the Biden administration.
The Afghanistan withdrawal
The committee’s Republican majority launched a report earlier this month that detailed the panel’s yearslong investigation into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and accused the Biden administration of deceptive the general public in regards to the pullout.
The prolonged report is very important of President Biden’s resolution to withdraw from Afghanistan, accusing the president and his administration of ignoring repeated warnings from navy officers, nationwide safety advisers and U.S. allies in regards to the dangers related to drawing American forces right down to zero as a result of he “prioritized politics and his private legacy over America’s nationwide safety pursuits.”
13 U.S. service members died in a suicide bombing in Kabul throughout the evacuation.
“This was one of many deadliest days in Afghanistan. It may have been prevented if the State Division did its job by legislation and executed the plan of evacuation,” McCaul mentioned in a Sept. 8 interview on “Face the Nation.”
Throughout its investigation, the committee performed 18 transcribed interviews with Biden administration officers and acquired greater than 20,000 pages of paperwork from the State Division, a few of which have been obtained by means of subpoenas. Blinken was not amongst those that testified.
Democratic members of the International Affairs Committee put out their very own report that defended the Biden administration’s dealing with of the withdrawal amid swiftly altering situations. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the committee’s high Democrat, argued that the Republican majority took “explicit pains to keep away from details involving former President Donald Trump.”
The Trump administration struck a take care of the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces from the nation by Could 2021. The deal, often called the Doha Settlement, laid out a collection of situations to be fulfilled by the Taliban earlier than U.S. forces would withdraw from Afghanistan.
Final yr, the State Division launched {a partially} declassified report that faulted each the Trump and Biden administrations for “inadequate” planning surrounding the withdrawal.
