Global Courant 2023-05-02 18:00:38
President Biden’s administration on Tuesday ignored a congressional subpoena for documents related to the failed US withdrawal from Afghanistan for the third time.
Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, served the subpoena in his role as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Secretary of State Tony Blinken blew past the original deadline to deliver the documents in March, then again in April when McCaul pushed back the deadline. McCaul buried his last line on May 1, and Blinken again refused to provide the documents.
McCaul’s subpoena calls for a dissent telegram from the U.S. embassy in Kabul, a document that would include any officials’ concerns about Biden’s withdrawal plans.
Instead of complying with the subpoena, the State Department offered to brief McCaul and his committee on the contents of the documents. McCaul accepted the briefing in April, but clarified that it did not amount to complying with the subpoena.
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President Biden’s administration is refusing to provide documents related to the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Representative Mike McCaul, R-Texas, has set three deadlines for the Biden administration to comply with a document subpoena, but the administration has ignored all of them. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Despite the briefing, McCaul and other Republicans on the committee said they still had unanswered questions that could only be answered by seeing the document for themselves.
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Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel argued to reporters on Monday that the DOS believes it has done nothing wrong.
“We have communicated with the House Foreign Affairs Committee with an offer that we believe is sufficient for them to perform their appropriate oversight duties,” he said at a briefing on Monday.
“That included a written summary of dissent coming from the embassy in Kabul and others. It also included a secret behind-the-scenes briefing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on these topics,” he continued.
Blinken stated at a hearing in March that the State Department would never release the anomalous cable, arguing that it would compromise the authenticity of future cables.
“It is vital to me that we maintain the integrity of that process and channel, that we do not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of others to come forward in the future, to address dissenting opinions on the express policy.” they are being chased”, Blinken testified at the time.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has refused three times to comply with a congressional subpoena to provide documents related to Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was one of the low points in Biden’s presidency. While the vast majority of Americans supported the decision to leave the country, they also overwhelmingly disapproved of Biden’s handling of the operation.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering national politics and major news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
