U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken received a subpoena this week for an investigation into the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the subpoena for Blinken’s “refusal to appear before the committee to testify on the Biden-Harris administration’s deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
“The Committee is holding this hearing because the Department of State was central to the Afghanistan withdrawal and served as the senior authority during the August non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO),” McCaul wrote in a statement announcing the subpoena. “As Secretary of State throughout the withdrawal and NEO, you were entrusted to lead these efforts and to secure the safe evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies. In testimony before the Committee, current and former State Department officials have confirmed that you served as the final decisionmaker for the Department on the withdrawal and evacuation.”
McCaul added, “You are therefore in a position to inform the Committee’s consideration of potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal, including potential reforms to the Department’s legislative authorization.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to reporters on the tarmac in Doha on August 20, 2024. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has sent Blinken a subpoena for a testimony on the Afghanistan withdrawal.
KEVIN MOHATT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images
In a statement obtained by The Associated Press (AP), State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Blinken is currently unable to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the dates they proposed because he will be traveling for work most of September. Miller also reportedly said that the Committee refused to hear “reasonable alternatives” to the subpoena date.
“The Secretary has testified before the Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times—more than any other Cabinet-level official,” Miller said. “It is disappointing that instead of continuing to engage with the Department in good faith, the Committee instead has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena.”
The subpoena for Blinken’s testimony marks the latest effort by McCaul and House Republicans to hold the Biden administration accountable for what they have called a “stunning failure of leadership” following the swift fall of Kabul to Taliban forces—an outcome U.S. intelligence had not predicted as American troops withdrew.
The committee is expected to release its findings in an investigative report on Monday, as the withdrawal from Afghanistan has become a key campaign issue in the contentious presidential race with Republican nominee Donald Trump pushing it to the forefront.
A 2022 report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) concluded that decisions by both Trump and President Joe Biden to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan were key factors in the collapse of the country’s military.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
