House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) says he will hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over important documents related to the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. I’m threatening you.
At the heart of the matter are interview transcripts used to compile the State Department’s after-action review (AAR) of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
“The committee’s patience is running out and it needs these files to complete its investigation and make legislative recommendations for consideration this Congress,” McCall wrote.
“If the Department fails to submit the files outlined below by March 6, 2024, the Committee stands ready to hold you in contempt of Congress.”
‘Unacceptable’: Taliban demands treatment ‘equivalent to recognition’ for attending UN conference
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is threatening to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress. (Getty Images)
He also accused Blinken of choosing “politics over policy” in the State Department’s decision to “withhold” the document.
Those are especially harsh words for McCaul, who has a relatively cordial relationship with Blinken compared to other House Republican committee chairs investigating the Biden administration.
In his letter, he accused McCall of sabotaging the department, including after he first requested notes from an interview with state officials conducted by then-Ambassador Dan Smith, who headed AAR, in September 2023. He cited multiple cases of criticism.
He also listed the ways in which the committee sought to respond to the department. For example, McCall argued that state officials believe the provision of the memo “has a significant chilling effect on the Department’s ability to implement thorough and impactful lessons learned efforts to improve our nation’s foreign policy decisions.” “The committee then suggested redacting the names and addressing security concerns,” he wrote. . ”
Do you think the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was bad? Look at what’s happening in the Pacific
Taliban fighters participate in a celebration marking the second anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan in Kandahar, south of Kabul, on August 15, 2023. (AP/Abdul Khaliq)
“On November 28, 2023, the committee again requested the interview records and stated that the department had failed to produce high-priority work in the past eight productions,” the letter states. “Looking forward to next month, the department said priority requests, including AAR team interview records, are “either belonging to a third party or involving significant executive branch confidentiality interests.” .”
When committee staff emphasized that the documents were important to the House investigation, state officials responded that the decision was above “pay grade,” according to the letter.
’13 Americans didn’t have to die’, book claims Biden’s failed Afghanistan withdrawal anguish 2024 election
“The Department’s stated reasons for withholding interview records are not rooted in law and, in fact, violate Congress’ constitutional and statutory oversight authority,” McCall wrote. “It is appalling that more than two years after a deadly and chaotic withdrawal, the Department of Defense continues to choose politics over policy.”
Afghanistan AAR blamed the Trump and Biden administrations for the disastrous August 2021 withdrawal.
The report said there was “insufficient senior-level consideration of the worst-case scenario and how quickly it would occur.”
The Afghanistan report criticized President Biden’s decision to hand over control of Bagram Air Base to the Afghan government. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The report said President Biden’s decision to carry out former President Donald Trump’s promise to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and set a September 11 deadline for doing so ultimately “resolved one of the military’s key drivers. “This further exacerbated the difficulties the State Department faces in mitigating losses.” ”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He was also critical of the Biden administration’s decision to hand over control of Bagram Air Base to the Afghan government, a decision that also drew bipartisan condemnation from national security hawks.
Fox News Digital contacted the State Department about McCall’s letter, but did not immediately receive a response.
