Secretary of State Antony Blinken could soon be held in contempt of Congress if he continues his refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena.
According to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, the State Department is refusing to produce a cable detailing the lead up to President Joe Biden's catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
“The Department is now in violation of its legal obligation to produce these documents and must do so immediately...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,” McCaul wrote in a letter to Blinken. "As outlined in previous correspondence, the dissent cable and official response are critical and material to the Committee’s investigation into the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal, and the Department has refused a reasonable accommodation proposed by the Committee."
What does Blinken have to hide? Since the Afghan withdrawal was an “extraordinary success”? https://t.co/x8pi7GPFIy
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) May 8, 2023
"The dissent cable is key contemporaneous evidence, providing concerns from U.S. officials on the ground in Afghanistan. Based on public reporting, the July 2021 dissent cable 'warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces, and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation,'" the letter continues. "Dissent Cable has been described as 'the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent and Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it.' The Department’s formal response similarly offers crucial insight into Department leadership’s view of these concerns and what actions they took to address them.
If Antony Blinken refuses to comply with proper Congressional oversight over the Afghanistan withdrawal, he needs to be held IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS. The American people shouldn’t be kept in the dark. You DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) May 8, 2023
Blinken joins Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who has been threatened with impeachment for unsecuring the border, causing a humanitarian catastrophe and lying under oath to Congress.
Secretary Mayorkas' impeachment is long overdue. pic.twitter.com/HoEmi7W6Or
— Rep. Monica De La Cruz (@RepMonicaDLC) May 5, 2023
