Headline Roundup • September 4th, 2024
Congressional Committee Subpoenaes Blinken Over Afghanistan Withdrawal
Defense And Security,Antony Blinken,Politics,Middle East,Biden Administration,Afghanistan,US Military,Foreign Affairs,US House
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday over the United States’ 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Details: The Committee, led by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), said Blinken previously refused to testify and is requesting he testify before the committee by September 19 or face contempt charges. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken will not be able to testify on the proposed dates but has proposed “reasonable alternatives.”
For Context: From 2001 to 2021, the U.S. was involved in a war in Afghanistan that ended with U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover in 2021. On August 26, 2021, at the end of the U.S. withdrawal, an attack on Kabul airport killed at least 169 Afghan civilians and 13 American service members. The committee is expected to release a report on September 9 detailing its examination of the withdrawal.
Key Quotes: McCaul told Blinken via a letter, “The Committee is holding this hearing because the Department of State was central to the Afghanistan withdrawal and served as the senior authority during the August non-combatant evacuation operation.” Spokesperson Miller said in a statement, “It is disappointing that instead of continuing to engage with the Department in good faith, the Committee instead has issued yet another unnecessary subpoena.”
How The Media Covered It: Axios (Lean Left bias) and Reuters (Center) both described the withdrawal as “chaotic” and “deadly.” The New York Post (Lean Right bias) called it “the Harris-Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images
The House Foreign Affairs Committee chair subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday to provide further testimony on the chaotic and deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The big picture: Rep. Michael McCaul's (R-Texas) office said in a statement that Blinken "must appear before the committee" on Sept. 19, 2024, "or face contempt" charges.
Driving the news: "The Committee is holding this hearing because the Department of State was central to the Afghanistan withdrawal and served as the senior authority during the August non-combatant evacuation operation," McCaul wrote in a letter to Blinken Tuesday.
McCaul's office said...
Getty Images
The House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday over his refusal to provide testimony related to the Harris-Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The committee, led by Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), has given Blinken a Sept. 19 deadline to answer questions before the panel or face being held in contempt of Congress.
“As Secretary of State throughout the withdrawal and [non-combatant evacuation operation], you were entrusted to lead these efforts and to secure the safe evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies,” McCaul wrote in a letter to the Harris-Biden...
REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/Pool/File Photo
The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, saying he had refused to appear before the panel to testify on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
In a letter about the subpoena, Chairman Michael McCaul said Blinken must appear before the committee on Sept. 19 or face contempt charges, the committee said.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken was not currently available to testify on the dates proposed by the committee, but has proposed "reasonable alternatives" to comply with...
