House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul is moving forward with his plan to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to appear at a hearing regarding the Biden administration’s handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. This move comes despite Blinken's presence at the annual high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York.
McCaul, a Republican, issued a subpoena earlier this month for Blinken to testify about his investigation into the deadly withdrawal. In response, Blinken called on McCaul to withdraw the subpoena and engage in good faith with the State Department to find an appropriate accommodation.
The decisions surrounding the withdrawal from Afghanistan have become a key issue for House Republicans and former President Donald Trump's campaign in the lead-up to the November presidential election.
McCaul conducted a lengthy investigation into the 2021 exit from Afghanistan, releasing a report earlier this month. The report was criticized by Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Biden administration as partisan and biased.
Blame has been exchanged between McCaul and the State Department for weeks regarding the decision to hold Blinken in contempt. McCaul had subpoenaed Blinken in early September to testify publicly about the report, with a hearing scheduled for last week when Blinken was traveling in Egypt and Paris.
During a committee hearing on Tuesday morning focused on the Afghanistan withdrawal, McCaul paused dramatically to acknowledge Blinken's absence. He then adjourned the hearing to proceed directly to a markup of a report recommending Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for failing to appear.
In a letter on Sunday, Blinken expressed disappointment with McCaul, stating his willingness to testify and offering reasonable alternatives to the hearing dates demanded by the Committee. Blinken detailed his busy schedule at the UN General Assembly this week, emphasizing the State Department's efforts to cooperate with the investigation.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller accused McCaul of acting in bad faith, suggesting that the hearing could be rescheduled to accommodate Blinken's availability. McCaul has also sought to implicate Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2021 withdrawal by referencing the 'Biden-Harris administration' in the committee's report.
