Blinken faces contempt of Congress for Afghanistan cable. The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee threatened Secretary of State Antony Blinken with contempt of Congress if he did not cooperate with a subpoena for a secret communication about the August 2021 U.S. exit from Afghanistan.
Representative Michael McCaul wrote to Blinken on Friday and revealed it on Monday, stating the committee was unsatisfied with the department’s answer to a July 2021 “dissent channel” cable.
The committee subpoenaed the information in March.
The “dissent channel” connects State Department officials to higher authorities. In August 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that the cable warned top authorities that Kabul might fall when U.S. forces left.
The State Department will only share limited material with top officials to safeguard dissenters’ identities. A spokesman responded to McCaul’s letter by saying the administration would give Congress the information it required while protecting State administration workers.
“It’s unfortunate that despite having received a classified briefing on the dissent channel cable as well as a written summary that the House Foreign Affairs Committee continues to pursue this unnecessary and unproductive action,” the spokeswoman wrote in an email.
McCaul is investigating the botched Afghanistan exit and events since. Republicans and some Democrats claim the bungled operation that killed 13 U.S. service members at Kabul’s airport has never been fully explained.
The letter required the department to cooperate or justify withholding the papers by May 11 at 6:00 pm EDT (2200 GMT).
“As noted above, should the Department fail to comply with its legal obligation, the Committee is prepared to take the necessary steps to enforce its subpoena, including holding you in contempt of Congress and/or initiating a civil enforcement proceeding,” the letter added.
Comment Template