Blinken SNUBS Congressional hearing on botched Afghanistan withdrawal

09/26/2024 / By Ramon Tomey

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has snubbed a Congressional hearing on the botched Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021, in defiance of a subpoena ordering him to testify before lawmakers.

The Biden-Harris administration official was a no-show during a Sept. 24 hearing convened by the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC). According to the Washington Free Beacon, the committee subpoenaed Blinken to elaborate on the failed 2021 withdrawal that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and brought the Taliban back to power after 20 years. The secretary of state was expected to face tough questions detailing how the U.S. abandoned a “significant amount of classified information,” advanced biometric data and millions in cash when it fled the war-torn country – as revealed by a new Congressional report.

But a day prior, on Sept. 23, the Department of State told the HFAC that Blinken won’t be appearing before it. According to sources familiar with the situation, the secretary was reportedly too busy with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City to attend.

“The committee received a letter stating the secretary will not come,” said one source. “He didn’t provide any other dates for this week, claiming he’s busy with events and gatherings at the UNGA. Instead, he offered his deputies – neither of whom worked at the State Department throughout 2021 nor the Afghanistan withdrawal.”

The Free Beacon noted that the State Department has long accused the HFAC, chaired by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), of “pursuing a politically motivated investigation into Afghanistan.” The department has also claimed that Blinken would never have been able to make the Sept. 24 hearing due to his UN obligations.

But according to HFAC sources, the secretary of state was offered any day in September to appear for testimony – with the State Department failing to select another day of its choosing. Lawmakers also were not informed of Blinken’s UN schedule in advance, leading them to choose Sept. 24 for the hearing, they added.

Blinken’s no-show paves the way for contempt citation

Blinken’s no-show and defiance of the subpoena angered GOP members of the HFAC, including McCaul himself. The committee chairman is now pushing a measure to formally hold the secretary of state in contempt of Congress. During the Sept. 24 HFAC hearing, McCaul announced that Blinken chose to “willingly defy this subpoena.”

The hearing concluded shortly after the announcement, and the Texas representative later said the HFAC would reconvene to “begin the formal process of holding the secretary in contempt of Congress.” The committee later voted along party lines to advance the resolution, which will now be voted on by the entire House floor.

McCaul told the Free Beacon before the vote that Blinken “probably had pressure put on him to not testify prior to the election.” He continued: “What they were trying to do was push my report and investigation until after the election because then it wouldn’t have the impact. There’s a campaign to try and bring it down.”

The Free Beacon managed to obtain a copy of the contempt resolution, with the document pointing fingers at Blinken for the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. The secretary’s “pattern of obstruction throughout the course of this committee’s investigation is consistent with a finding of contempt now,” the document stated. It also emphasizes that Blinken’s appearance before the HFAC “is critical to understanding a series of missteps that only became clear years after the Biden-Harris administration abandoned Afghanistan.”

“[Afghanistan is now] the most gender-oppressive regime in the world, as well as a breeding ground for terrorism. The U.S.’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan kickstarted aggression from America’s adversaries like Russia, China and Iran,” the resolution stated. “Much of the accountability for the failures involved in that withdrawal belongs with Blinken as head of the State Department.”

The Free Beacon noted that if the resolution is approved, Blinken would be the first secretary of state to be held in contempt of Congress. This misdemeanor is punishable by up to $100,000 in fines and potential jail time. In June, the Biden-Harris administration declined to prosecute U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland after the GOP-controlled House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress in June. (Related: Florida Rep. Luna: House sergeant-at-arms CAN ARREST U.S. AG Garland.)

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Watch this clip of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) questioning Antony Blinken about Chinese nationals entering the U.S. during an HFAC hearing in May.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.