House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul is threatening to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress over his panel’s investigation into the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a letter the Texas Republican sent him Friday, a copy of which was obtained by CNN.
The letter, the latest escalation in the panel’s investigation, comes after McCaul subpoenaed Blinken in March for a dissent cable written by US diplomats in Kabul criticizing the Biden administration’s plans to withdraw troops in 2021.
The chairman claimed the information the State Department has turned over is “insufficient,” saying the department is “now in violation of its legal obligation to produce these documents and must do so immediately,” according to the letter. McCaul is giving Blinken a third deadline of May 11 to voluntarily comply – or he will move forward with contempt proceedings, he said.
A State Department spokesperson called the panel’s latest move “unnecessary and unproductive action.”
“It’s unfortunate that despite having received a classified briefing on the dissent channel cable as well as a written summary that the House Foreign Affairs Committee continues to pursue this unnecessary and unproductive action,” spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement. “Nevertheless, we will continue to respond to appropriate oversight inquiries and provide Congress the information it needs to do its job while protecting the ability of State Department employees to do theirs.”
McCaul views the dissent cable as a crucial document for his committee’s investigation. Blinken, however, has told the panel that he opposes sharing the full document due to concerns it could have a dangerous impact on diplomats’ use of the channel, which is a confidential way for them to share concerns with top State Department officials.
…
Read the full article here