First appearance on Fox: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is under threat of a contempt of Congress vote, has been called upon to testify for months, finally testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) of the 118th Congress on the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was reported that he had agreed to do so. A spokesperson for the committee's Republican majority.
President Biden's secretary of state is scheduled to appear at the Dec. 11 hearing, an HFAC majority spokesperson told FOX News Digital. His testimony comes more than three years after the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Blinken testified before the Democratic-led HFAC in September 2021, shortly after the withdrawal.
Blinken had previously refused to respond to a subpoena from a Republican-led committee seeking testimony in 2024 on the Afghanistan withdrawal.
His initial testimony before the Democratic-controlled committee was not enough for Republican HFAC Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
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Antony Blinken agreed to testify before the Republican-controlled House of Representatives under threat of a contempt vote. (Reuters/Getty Images)
In the recent Blinken Contempt Report, McCall said the 2021 “appearance comes before the committee begins its investigation, meaning the committee has not yet transcribed interviews or discovered documents.” As a result, the committee received no benefit.” The findings examined Secretary Blinken's testimony, which included misleading statements about withdrawal and the NEOs under his leadership. ”
“After months of good faith efforts and frequent stonewalling from the State Department, I am proud to have secured Secretary Blinken’s appearance before my committee. His testimony has been long awaited. We believe in providing accountability and transparency to the American people, our allies in Afghanistan, and our Gold Star families,” McCall said in a statement to FOX News Digital.
“It is unfortunate that the Secretary agreed to appear only after my committee advanced a contempt action against him. I wish he had not postponed this important appearance until the end of his term as Secretary of State. “I look forward to hearing his testimony and asking him questions.” These are poignant questions that House Republicans and the next administration will need to ensure this never happens again. ”
Blinken's final decision to testify comes as a House vote to hold him in contempt of Congress approaches, and the House Rules Committee will soon begin setting conditions for a vote on the resolution. It is expected.
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A gold medal is displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on September 10, 2024, prior to a ceremony honoring the 13 American service members killed in a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Mr. McCall began soliciting Mr. Blinken's testimony in May, a committee spokeswoman said. The investigation into McCaul's departure lasted three years, but his oversight was limited when Republicans were in the minority in the 117th Congress.
During a general hearing on U.S. diplomacy with Secretary of State Blinken in May, Mr. McCaul first asked him to testify in September when the commission's report on the Afghanistan withdrawal would be released.
Mr. Blinken had no intention of doing so, instead telling the chairman, “Well, I'd like to have our team talk to you about Mr. Chairman. Thank you.”
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Mr. McCaul subpoenaed Mr. Blinken to discuss a disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Getty Images)
A committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital that in the months that followed, Mr. Blinken was given repeated accommodations and received various warnings, but the Department of State (DOS) said he had a preferred date for his appearance in September. He said he refused to reveal the details. He instead called on the two lieutenants to testify, even though they were not at the department during the evacuation.
The committee ultimately decided in early September to issue a subpoena for Blinken's testimony. The speaker then moved the date he was subpoenaed to testify to ensure Blinken's presence after learning he was overseas.
But on September 24, Mr. Blinken did not appear before Congress to testify.
In his absence, HFAC passed a resolution recommending that Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena. The vote was 26-25 along party lines.
A committee spokesperson detailed how the Republican majority worked with Mr. Blinken to avoid subpoena enforcement. They said the committee reminded DOS of the report just before September, when McCall called for Blinken's testimony. But the department and Mr. Blinken still refused to choose a date within the month.
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Blinken initially did not respond to the subpoena. (Reuters/Elizabeth Franz/Pool/File Photo)
On November 7, the HFAC majority staff met with DOS leaders to inform them of a report that recommended that Blinken be removed from the committee for contempt. It also said it was prepared to move the contempt resolution to the House floor for a vote if he still refuses to provide a date for testifying before the committee.
By Nov. 14, the contempt suit was notified for consideration in the Rules Committee, one of the final steps before a vote is taken in the House. On the same day, DOS made an initial date proposal to the committee. A committee spokesperson said the ministry had proposed either Dec. 17 or 18, but those two dates were in the final week of the session and many delegates had already planned to leave.
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On November 15, the committee countered DOS with a proposal for December 10 or 11. The department ultimately chose the 11th, which Mr. Blinken accepted, according to a committee spokesperson.
DOS did not immediately comment to Fox News Digital.
