The House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Blinken, marking an escalation in the GOP probe of how the Biden administration handled U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
An air crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assists evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, August 21, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan.The House Foreign Affairs Committee has served Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a subpoena for a classified document from diplomats in Kabul warning the Afghan government was at risk of collapse as the last American troops prepared to exit.
"Unfortunately, Secretary Blinken has refused to provide the dissent cable and his response to the cable, forcing me to issue my first subpoena as chairman of the committee," McCaul continued, adding that the panel expects the State Department will "follow the law and comply with this subpoena in good faith."
"The department followed up with the committee to reiterate its willingness to provide a briefing about the concerns raised and the challenges identified by Embassy Kabul, including in the dissent channel. The Committee chose instead to issue a subpoena," State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in statement.
An air crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assists evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, August 21, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan.MORE: Sen. Rand Paul staffer stabbed multiple times in DC, suspect arrested
The source said Blinken promptly read the cable and responded to it. The Biden administration also announced an operation to relocate Afghans who worked with U.S. and NATO forces the day after the initial memo was sent.
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