After Threat of Contempt Blinken Gives House GOP Access to Docs on Afghanistan Disaster

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In the last couple of months, the Biden Administration has sung a different song when it comes to the debacle that President Joe Biden pulled U.S. military personnel out of Afghanistan. Readers may remember that in March, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin appeared before the House Armed Services Committee. My colleague wrote:

Austin was asked by Rep. Jim Banks, (R-IN), if he had any regrets about the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan at the end of August 2021. Austin’s response to Banks when asked if he regretted the withdrawal was stunning…

Austin said, “I have no regrets.” Austin initially denied any responsibility, but then said he did not know of anyone who was held accountable for the withdrawal.

You may remember the report the Administration published in April about the departure from Afghanistan. In it, they essentially blamed former President Donald Trump’s incompetence. The review “repeatedly criticizes” the Trump administration’s “constraining conditions” for American withdrawal. Not even CBS News bought Team Biden’s whitewashing of the debacle.

The Republican-majority House pressed the State Department, and Secretary Antony Blinken specifically, to release documents on what actually happened in Afghanistan. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (R-Texas), told Fox News Digital …. in an interview six weeks ago that he intended to file a contempt charge against May 24.

McCaul said to Fox, “I do not take this lightly. A Secretary of State has never before been found in contempt of Congress.” “I think that the secretary understands the gravity of the situation.” “They would probably also prefer to avoid this course of action.” “If they don’t comply, then we are prepared to proceed next week with an assessment for contempt.”

Fox News has reported that Blinken is now resigning.

The State Department has been stonewalling House Republicans for months about President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will have access to the documents this week at the State Department after threatening Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a contempt charge. The document is a dissenting cable from the U.S. embassy in Kabul and details any concerns State Department officials had about Biden’s plans to withdraw.

McCaul subpoenaed this document several times in the first months of the year. Blinken failed to deliver it. McCaul agreed to a State Department briefing about the contents of the document but still demanded the actual document.

The report continues.

According to Punchbowl News, McCaul is scheduled to visit the department to read the document with Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The document will be viewed in its entirety, but the names of contributors to the report on dissent will be removed.

It is great to see Republicans showing some backbone in the face of the Biden Administration’s continued silence on important questions regarding our foreign and national policies. We hope they continue on this path.